LOS FABULOCOS FEATURING KID RAMOS Source: Real Blues Magazine Date: 10/2008 Writer: A. Grigg

A lot of people have been waiting for this disc and upon first listen, it is very evident there’ll be a lot of very happy fans (although like 70% of the CDs we get these days it was defective with endless skips and repeats even though the disc was unmarked).  But, I soldiered on and while I couldn’t dance to the tunes thanks to all the skips, I still got the feel and ‘spirit’ of the music (perhaps Delta Groove will follow Blind Pig’s lead and start putting out vinyl LPs?).  The best way to explain the sound of Los Fabulocos is to draw comparison to Los Lobos and while they occupy the same genre, Los Fabulocos has a tougher, sound with many of the 13 tunes geared for dance floor action such as the opening track, a burning version of “Educated Fool” a New Orleans classic from way back with accordion (Jesus Cuevas) replacing the original horn lines.  I should point out the connection between the music of Southern Louisiana, East Coastal Texas (Port Arthur and Beaumont especially) and Northern Mexico.  The populations of all 3 areas were tremendously influenced by German Immigrants who brought with them Polka Music and accordions.  The rest is History as they say as everyone learned to dance to their own Regional version of the Polka and accordion stars emerged adopting traditional Mexican or French Acadian (Cajun) tunes to the infectious and popular ‘new’ music.  Blues and Rock’n Roll were later added to the mix and when the music migrated to  California in the 1940s/1950s with Mexican-Americans seeking ‘the-better-life’ there was another music genre adopted and adapted; Top 40 R&B, Doo-Wop and Soul.  Southern California Chicanos soon had their own Anthems and if an R&B artist was lucky enough to have his/her song hit with Mexican-American neighbourhoods in San Diego or L.A. they often sold more records there than the rest of the Country combined.  There’s always been a special affinity for The Blues and Zydeco and if you’re lucky enough to have the excellent book “Nervous Man Nervous” (the biography of West Coast sax legend Big Jay McNeely) by Jim Dawson you will see the great live-on-stage shots from 1951 in L.A. that clearly shows an audience heavily populated with young Chicanos dressed to-the-nines with slick pompadours.  Just as Los Lobos could always be counted on to deliver at least 3 or 4 heavy, down-in-the-alley Blues tunes on their albums, Los Fabulocos deliver a similar menu of dance-floor R&B, Spanish-language ballads, Zydeco rockers and deep Blues, as well as a couple of traditional border tunes. 

While “Educated Fool” rocks wild for the opener, “If You Know” is an accordion-led Polka-rocker that anyone can dance to.  Nice guitar solo from Kid Ramos who offers tasty licks throughout.  “Crazy Baby” is a 1950-style ballad with heavy reverb guitar (thousands of guitarists from 1955-1965 used reverb as a very effective song-enhancer.  Why it fell out of favor who knows) and I can picture the dance-floors totally packed for this perfect tempo ‘close-dancing’ gem.  The accordion work of Cuevas is excellent and the heavy bass-pedal on the drum-kit is courtesy Richard “El Paton” Innes.  Wonderful track.  “Lonesome Tears In My Eyes” is the classic Johnny Burnette Rock’n Roll Trio tune and it’s done up in Traditional Mexican style with Ramos on bajo sexto (I think!) and Spanish guitar.  And, it’s also The Kid singing and he’s dynamite.  I wish he’d realize how good a singer he is and give us more of his fine voice.  “Un Mojado Sin Licencia” requires a change in drummers, as it’s an old-school Santiago Jimenez hit with a military-style drum track so Lorenzo Martinez makes an appearance on the kit.  “Day After Day” is a nasty Blues a la’ South-side Chicago at 3 am on a Saturday Night in 1958.  A relentless, hypnotic beat driven along by Ramos’ guitar.  This one could hit the Top of The Charts on the Carolina Beach Music Scene, as it’s impossible to sit through the hip-grinding groove.  I just realized how many Markets this CD is going to hit big in and I mull that over as “Como Un Perro”, a beautiful Spanish ballad, comes on.  I wonder how many MILLIONS of potential fans in Central and South America will go nuts for Los Fabulocos.  There’s even a potential Country Hit with “You Keep Drinkin’” and I can picture all the cowboy boots and Stetsons crowding the dance floors in hundreds of little clubs across America.  “Just Because” is another timeless R&B/Chicano anthem and let’s hope Lloyd Price has his royalty claims in order (unlike so many R&B stars of the 1950s for the Specialty label, Price took business courses).  The one I’ve been waiting for, ‘All Night Long” is not the Joe Houston sax wailer that has been played 63 million times in Southern California but rather the Clifton Chenier Zydeco rocker and it’s a total gas.  “Burnin’ The Chicken” is the one every Kid Ramos fan has been waiting for (it could also be titled “The Kid Finally Flexes!”) as it’s the ultimate dirty, macho guitar boogie, heavy on the bass strings and I half expected to hear screams in the background.   (In the words of Larry Graham “We blew your mind!”) and, there will be many a stunned guitar picker playing “Burnin’…” over and over and shakin’ his head, muttering to himself.  Yes, Kid Ramos finally let it all hang out and it’s a monster-killer guitar masterpiece delivered at lightnin’ fast speed.  “Mexico Americano” is a fitting closer for this totally captivating and joyful album.  This is going to be a huge album for Delta Groove and Los Fabulocos are destined for fame and fortune while dispensing REAL Music.  Thank God, as it’s a big breath of fresh air in an era that’s been heavily polluted by all kinds of nasty noise.  (Oh yeah, before I forget; James Barrios played the solid electric bass throughout and the legendary David Z produced this album which accounts for the seamless slickness to all the hipness!).  We have no option but to deliver 6 Bottles of Thunderbird to Los Fabulocos for their wonderful Soul Tonic.  It makes one so very hopeful for the future!