LOS FABULOCOS FEATURING KID RAMOS Source: 3rd Coast Music Date: 10/2008 Writer: John Conquest

No disrespect to veteran West Coast blues guitarist Ramos (James Harman, Hollywood Fats, late model Fab T-Birds, Mannish Boys), but this album should be titled ‘Los Fabulocos featuring Jesus ‘El Gordo’  Cuevas.” Former Blazer Cuevas, who played Hohner button accordion on Just For You (1997) and also sang background vocals on Puro Blazers(2000) and The Seventeen Jewels (2003), really comes into his own here, simply amazing. I have to confess that I’m late with this, and have deprived myself of several weeks of listening pleasure, because a friend of The Blazers gave me an advance copy at Casbeers one night, which, tossed into the rolling dustbin known as the Dogmobile, didn’t resurface until late October. Los Fabulocos call their music ‘Cali- Mex,’ but a set list that includes Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s Educated Fool, New Hampshire rockabilly Gene Maltais’ Crazy Baby, Johnny Burnette & The Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio’s Lonesome Tears In My Eyes, Don Santiago Jimenez’ Un Mojado Sin Licencia, Cornelio Reyna’s Como Un Perro, Rockin’ Dopsie’s You Ain’t Nothin’ But Fine, Lloyd Price’s Just Because, Clifton Chenier’s All Night Long and Los Pinguinos Del Norte’s Mexico Americano has an awful lot of Texas resonance, the kind of stuff you might have heard Doug playing, and can still hear from Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights. With great backing by Ramos, who plays a supporting role except on his original instrumental Burnin’  the Chicken, bass player James Barrios, who also contributes You Keep Drinkin’, and drummer Mike Molina, another ex-Blazer, Cuevas puts in a muscular performance as a vocalist and an absolutely outstanding one as an accordionist. He also wrote two songs that easily hold their own against the covers, If You Know and Day After Day. This is the album that the star-studded Tremoloco tried to make but couldn’t pull off, and the difference is that Los Fabulocos sound like a real get sweaty band, one that makes you hope they’ll be coming to a venue near you sometime real soon, and it’s led by Jesus Cuevas. It’s not often I can’t find a single nit to pick, but this is flat out pure enjoyment from first to last.