Los Lobos Goes Disney



[Disney Sound]



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On paper, at least, the idea of Los Lobos releasing an album comprised solely of songs from Disney films comes off as a supreme waste of time. One of the most consistently inventive bands of the past quarter century, the Mexican-American ensemble is as renowned for its songwriting prowess as it is for its skill in the recording studio. Making a “kids album” sure seems like a stop-gap.



Happily, “Los Lobos Goes Disney” is a pure delight. The band offers its own spin on classics from films like “The Jungle Book,” “Pinnochio” and “101 Dalmations,” and though the melodies that endeared these songs to so many in the first place are in evidence, everything else has been messed with in the most wonderful way.



“Heigh-Ho” comes marching out of the speakers like Tom Waits leading a parade of lunatics through a barrio. “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” is now a Latin-flavored romp. “Grim Grinning Ghosts” is drenched in ska and granted a certain menace by guitarist/vocalist Ceasar Rosas’ attitude-drenched delivery. “I Will Go Sailing No More,” from “Toy Story,” is now a heart-tugging ballad that sounds an awful lot like something Los Lobos might have placed on its own “Kiko” album.



Far from suggesting that the band has run out of ideas of its own, “Los Lobos Goes Disney” instead reveals a tight troop of musicians finding inspiration and a sense of playfulness in a classic songbook.



—J. M.