Forgiven
Epic
It’s hard to imagine a more likable rock album than “Forgiven,” the third full-length studio effort by the Texas-trio, Los Lonely Boys. The songs graft blues, acid rock and the traditional Tex-Mex border music of conjunto into a sound that’s an adult contemporary combination of Los Lobos and Stevie Ray Vaughn.
This band of brothers - Henry Garza on guitar and vocal, JoJo on bass and Ringo Jr. on drums - boasts deep roots as musicians. They honed their craft playing behind their father Ringo Garza Sr., who himself played alongside his brothers in the conjunto band the Falcones. Conjunto is based around the accordion, with backing from 12-string guitar and other instruments. Los Lonely Boys is a guitar band, but they are able to show off their conjunto influence by using the Hammond organ as an accordion stand-in.
This is not to oversell the band’s Tex-Mex roots. The band describes its sound as “Texican rock ’n’ roll,” and the accent definitely goes on the rock. As a guitarist, Henry Garza favors the lush, clean style of obvious influences like Carlos Santana, but plays his solo parts around a crunch of distorted rhythm. On “Cruel,” Henry Garza hangs back - playing dense, grinding fills around a tableau of heavy drums and bass. On other tracks, such as “Staying With Me,” “Superman” and “Another Broken Heart,” the guitar dominates from the jump.
The first track, “Heart Won’t Tell A Lie,” is the album’s most memorable offering. It’s opening notes are reminiscent of the B.B. King classic “The Thrill Is Gone,” but quickly it careens into a thunder of chords that recall the Stevie Ray Vaughn classic, “Texas Flood.” It’s the only point at which Henry Garza approaches the kind of blistering speeds that inspire tablature enthusiasts to obsessive feats of transcription. In general, Los Lonely Boys try for a more textured, layered sound - not hyperkinetic solos.
Henry Garza does play as if he’s possessed of the sheer virtuosity of his idols or of, say, contemporary blues guitar standout Jeff Healy. Instead, the guitars give way here and there for soaring vocal harmonies as well as organ and piano parts - several of which are supplied by New Orleans legend Dr. John.
My one reservation about Los Lonely Boys is that their music occasionally tacks into anodyne waters, especially on the tracks that most reflect the Tejano influence. The waltz tempos on “Loving You Always” and other songs reflect the traditional conjunto sound, but when paired with acoustic guitar fills and vocal harmonies, can feel a bit saccharine.That said, I expect “Forgiven,” by virtue of its catchiness and sheer listenability, to help widen Los Lonely Boys considerable popularity.
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