Album of the Day
Latin Playboys
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Working with Los Lobos in the early 1990s, producer Mitchell Froom heard demos from that band's David Hidalgo that seemed to go beyond the Grammy winners' usual sound – thus the Latin Playboys were born. With Los Lobos percussionist and songwriter Louie Pérez and Froom's colleague Tchad Blake joining in, the group's self-titled 1994 debut takes Mexican-American roots rock into experimental territory, and such impressionistic tracks as “Manifold de Amour” and “Forever Night Shade Mary” reward repeated listening. Giving the collection an A+ grade, noted critic Robert Christgau called it “Magical, mystical, the kind of inner-child fantasia that usually guarantees self-indulgence, but here is a field recording from two amigos' mutual unconscious.” Have a happy Cinco de Mayo with the LATIN PLAYBOYS.