LOS LOBOS

Tin Can Trust

[Shout Factory!]

The news that Los Lobos has canceled an Arizona concert in protest of the state’s immigration laws makes the group’s first album of new material in four years seem frustratingly minor. Our most prominent Mexican-American band presumably has some thoughts about how matters are being handled near the Southern border, yet the recording of Tin Can Trust wrapped up before those feelings could be put to music. If you walk in expecting a poignant take on current events, you’ll have to settle for a few down-on-our-luck tunes set in a crumbling economy. The timing is unfortunate because under normal circumstances, the pre-Beatles rock (“On Main Street”), Spanish-language folk songs (“Yo Canto”) and David Hidalgo’s sometimes-spooky spells (“I’ll Burn It Down”) would all serve as reminders of why this skilled unit has lasted so long. More than 30 years after its beginnings, a finer and more eclectic bar band still can’t be found. –David Styburski