Los Lonely Boys more than one-hit wonder
Michele Brittany
Issue date: 11/8/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Los Lonely Boys (LLB) prove that something good can come out of Texas. The three Garza, Henry on guitar, Jojo on bass and Ringo on drums, make up this band that released their debut self-titled album back in August 2003.
"Heaven" has been getting a lot of airtime on local radio stations recently. As a song with an edgy, swinging Latino rock beat and well put together lyrics, I was curious if they would be a one-hit wonder.
I liked the one song so much however that I took a chance and spent the near $20 to buy their CD to hear if they were as talented as I suspected they may be. The purchase was worth every penny!
With the first listening, I was struck by the sequencing of their twelve tracks that gave the impression of experiencing a concert. From the beginning, this trio gets things rocking with their first track "Señorita" building to a crescendo of excitement through each subsequent track to "Onda" (Wave).
An extended acoustical piece, the boys show off their musical depth and expertise. The CD concludes with a ballad titled "La Contestación" (The Answer) and left me wanting to listen to the CD again and again.
Eldest brother, Henry, in an interview with USA reporter Brian Mansfield, described their music with a burrito metaphor, "A burrito is filled with a bunch of stuff. We [the brothers] are the tortilla. Inside the tortilla, we've filled it with all the knowledge that we gathered from our influences. Our biggest influence is our father, then come all the others: The Beatles, Ritchie Valens, Willie and Waylon, Ronnie Milsap, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana. We fold it up and we feed it to the world" (USA Today, May 17, 2004).
All those influences blended well on the Garzas' musical palette resulting in a refreshing sound that has crossed over from country to rock 'n' roll. In August, "Heaven" reached number 9 on VH1 and number 1 on CMT in August and Sept. Billboard charts for Oct. 16 showed that the group peaked at number 9 and are currently at number 37.
"Heaven" has been getting a lot of airtime on local radio stations recently. As a song with an edgy, swinging Latino rock beat and well put together lyrics, I was curious if they would be a one-hit wonder.
I liked the one song so much however that I took a chance and spent the near $20 to buy their CD to hear if they were as talented as I suspected they may be. The purchase was worth every penny!
With the first listening, I was struck by the sequencing of their twelve tracks that gave the impression of experiencing a concert. From the beginning, this trio gets things rocking with their first track "Señorita" building to a crescendo of excitement through each subsequent track to "Onda" (Wave).
An extended acoustical piece, the boys show off their musical depth and expertise. The CD concludes with a ballad titled "La Contestación" (The Answer) and left me wanting to listen to the CD again and again.
Eldest brother, Henry, in an interview with USA reporter Brian Mansfield, described their music with a burrito metaphor, "A burrito is filled with a bunch of stuff. We [the brothers] are the tortilla. Inside the tortilla, we've filled it with all the knowledge that we gathered from our influences. Our biggest influence is our father, then come all the others: The Beatles, Ritchie Valens, Willie and Waylon, Ronnie Milsap, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana. We fold it up and we feed it to the world" (USA Today, May 17, 2004).
All those influences blended well on the Garzas' musical palette resulting in a refreshing sound that has crossed over from country to rock 'n' roll. In August, "Heaven" reached number 9 on VH1 and number 1 on CMT in August and Sept. Billboard charts for Oct. 16 showed that the group peaked at number 9 and are currently at number 37.