Los Lobos - Colossal Head

If Kiko was Los Lobos' unanticipated definitive statement, as in "You've got to hear this!" Colossal Head is its less focused addendum. It says: "Oh, yeah, and furthermore. The title track, a multi-textured grinder with a Middle Eastern string arrangement mixed in with baritone sax and blues guitar. "Life Is Good" is lazy, infectious '70s pop funk à la War and Sly & the Family Stone "Más y más" is an old-fashioned guitar wank that puts one in mind of the other crucial name in Latin rock--Santana. Los Lobos are known for their ensemble work, but this is just unstrained look-at-me showboating. When you've got David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, why not flaunt 'em? The occasional missteps ("This Bird's Gonna Fly," "Can't Stop the Rain") are just bland songs the band and coproducers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake dress up with the kind of offbeat production touches that worked so well with Kiko. --Steven Stolder Amazon.com

"Do The Colossal Head!"

I was in college in 1996 when this album came out. I purchased it and it became a staple on my college radio show for the next couple years. The band is incredible and the Mitchell Froom/Tchad Blake production added strange character to this eclectic group of songs. Standouts for me are the slow wah guitar driven "Little Japan" and the exuberant "Life is Good", which sounds like listening to a party from the apartment next door. I love the driving "Everybody Loves a Train" with its locomotive rhythm and roaring saxophone. "Mas Y Mas" is a barnburner of the highest order and you don't need to understand the lyrics to have a good time. Colossal Head may not stand up to Kiko as Los Lobos's best, but I still give it five stars for its adventurous spirit. So many albums that came out in 96 were stale, pallid, and forgettable and this was a fresh, lively shot in the arm. January 21, 2008

Colossal Album

I got this way back on cassette. I liked it so much that I just got it on CD. The moral of the story? It's all good. September 13, 2007

Another great weird Los Lobos record

The first seven tracks are a kick everytime I hear them. By a funny coincidence I had picked up a War collection about six weeks before I heard Colossal Head, and it was perfect preparation. I read some reviews that knock this record for the presence of some blues. Go figure. That's a big part of the Lobos' musical background and they are very good at playing and singing it. There's also an all-time great tune "Maricela" and some very tasty soul numbers in "Can't Stand the Rain" and "Little Japan". The sound is even stranger than it was on Kiko. October 6, 2006

EXTRAORDINARY BAND

Anyone who is a TRUE music lover, will either know, or would want to know, about the true Los Lobos. They are so very, VERY much more than most people recognize. They are true artists in every sense, and have a dignity (musically, and personally) that few bands have, or could even understand.

Their entire body of work is very worthwhile, and this record ranks near, or at the top, along with KIKO. May 31, 2006

A clunker from a great band

I love Los Lobos! I have six of their albums and have had the good fortune to have seen them several times. However, this album is uninspired and horrid compared to other great Los Lobos albums like "Kiko" or "How Will Wolf Survive." Perhaps it is the greater expectations that I have for this band that cause me to take a less than flattering view of this album, perhaps. But I don't think so. I am shocked by all of the five star ratings in here. This is a very short album with hastily put together blues jams that lack much innovation or creativity. Did these people actually listen to this CD or are they just so loyal to the band that they will not speak the truth? I love them and can say without a doubt that this is their worst album. March 10, 2006

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