Los Mocosos
Shades Of Brown
Six Degrees
I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere along the line, rock lost its soul. Anemic musicians and soulless DJs play music so devoid of feeling; it becomes another commodity, as plastic, artificial, and prefabricated as the packaging surrounding it. For this reason, I rejoiced and continue to rejoice while listening to Los Mocosos second release, Shades Of Brown. The music on this disc has passion, vitality, and above all, a searing rhythm section and horns, all ingredients sorely missing in music these days.
This album opens with the foot stomper “Llegaron Los Mocosos,” and does not relent. From there, the album runs on all cylinders, with the second track, “Caliente,” announcing that Los Mocosos is there to get the party started. Song to song and sometimes within the same song, the lyrics range from English to Spanish and back again. This talented sextet incorporates a host of divergent styles of music. They incorporate rock, funk, salsa, and even some occasional ska rhythms. But this ain’t no oldies or retro music, this music grabs your pale white ass and makes you dance.
That is not to say that this music is all mindless party music, the lyrics do address a host of problems that face an inner city neighborhood. On the title track, Shades Of Brown, as well as the closing track, “Mi Barrio Loco,” the music and lyrics tackle the difficult subjects of racism and the changing face of the neighborhood. This disc should be required listening for anyone who claims that they are a music fan. It is a wake up call and shot across the deck against complacency. It is a reminder of what music sounds like when it is played by talented musicians with passion.
Six Degrees Records, PO Box 411347, San Francisco, CA 94141-1347; http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com
