The Town And the City - Los Lobos

I've been sitting with my infant son August listening to "The Town and the City," the relatively new CD from Los Lobos. I've explained to August thaat the guys in the band are all roughly my age and he seems unimpressed. The music is predictably good and quite dancable although I've resisted demonstrating for August for fear of attracting the wrath of the Department of Children & Family Services. (And if you want to hear the band really rock I recommend the "Live at the Filmore" disc they released last year.) You can find a "World Cafe" feature on the new record on the npr site. As the npr folk explain, the tunes present a "a subtly emotional first-person account of a Mexican immigrant making his way in the U.S.." - it is topical without being preachy. A couple of things (beside the tunes) are quite cool about the record. First, it is dedicated "To our parents who gave us everything they had." Second, they announce, "Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Conrad Lorenzo, Louie Perez, Cesar Rosas and Steve Berlin" (stress added). Pretty good for a band that's been playing together since the mid-1970s. And, finally, they plug an outfit called Homeboy Industries that works with L.A. Gang Members to help them "redirect their lives." Give the record a listen.