ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS of all time without a doubt has gotta be Los Lonely Boys. The brotherly trio of Henry, Jojo, and Ringo (no, not that Ringo, this Ringo although they both do play drums...) consistently put out some of the smoothest rock music for over a decade during the mid 2000s, even throwing out at top 20 Billboard song and a number 2 album in the States. At one point, they even found their way on a Guitar Hero soundtrack. It would’ve been great to see the group get more recognition than they did, but can’t complain with all that plus one Grammy win and two more nominations.
Outside of incredible instrumentals, I love that the group owned their Latin-herritage, expanding on the music that artists such as Ritchie Valenes, Santana and Los Lobos pioneered in America, even if it meant trading in potential charting success. While it’s probably easiest to say the group played something along the lines of “Texas blues-rock,” the trio also leaned heavily on some of their other roots, often combining Spanglish lyrics with a very much Tejano vibe in a lot of their shit. I Never Met a Woman is a perfect example of this combo. The further they moved in their career, the more the group explored their sound, turning more and more to their background for inspiration. All you need to hear is the intro song - Blame It on Love - off their final album, Revelation (2014), to get this.
As usual, I gotta take a sec to talk about the lyrics. Without question, the band gained recognition mainly due to their musical talent mixed with what they represented for the Latin-American community. And while their lyrics weren’t ground breaking, they were relatable as fuck. I mean just listen to Heaven - the song they’re most well known for. A super dope song to listen to, but when you hear what they’re saying, it’s no surprise why it did so well (remember the song that went #2 overall I mentioned earlier? This is it). The concept of dealing with life’s obstacles are portrayed in a real simple way that makes it relatable to anyone. Regardless your position on the planet or belief heaven, I think this is a song that everyone can find some way to connect to. Like all bands, they got a bunch of music dedicated to loving and I gotta say So Sensual is their best. As for the rest of their music, and I say this knowing I’m 100% biased but, I really don’t know if I’ve heard a bad sounding song from them. Everything is real relatable and has great fucking music. They’re an easy listen and almost always real fun to put on and vibe to.
Something I think is so impressive about Los Lonely Boy is that they’re one of those few bands that are better live than they are recorded, speaking volumes about their talent. I was lucky enough to have seen the group perform right before Jojo decided to leave and they did not disappoint. Both Jojo and Ringo did their thing, but maaan I did not realize how good Henry is at guitar… that fucker can really shred! He definitely has riffs on the recorded albums that you notice but at the live shows? Nah, he don’t mess around (see right, sorry for the shite resolution, snap vids are a little sus). If they ever decide to do another tour, it’s a concert I would highly, highly recommend to anyone who’s a fan of the genre, even if the vibe was a little different than most shows I’ve been to (I think 90% of the crowd was AARP eligible so kinda makes sense). But, if you can get over that and just wanna see great music performed, these guys can’t be missed.
PERSONAL FAVORITES: Heaven, Velvet Sky, Diamonds, Roses, Staying With Me, Road to Nowhere, So Sensual
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