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''The Ride'' is the 11th album by Los Lobos. It features numerous guest musicians. The album contains new material and also new versions of earlier Los Lobos songs. - Wikipedia

You could call Los Lobos the Rodney Dangerfield of rock 'n' roll. Despite a glorious career spanning 30 years that includes 12 albums and three Grammys (two Mexican-American, one pop), the band is as far from earning mainstream respect as ever. The Ride probably won't change that, despite the cult favorites who guest star: Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Garth Hudson of the Band, guitar god Richard Thompson and ex-Blaster Dave Alvin. Though all are obvious admirers (and most are also thankless laborers in the same roots rock backyard) there's a faint whiff of record company desperation here as well: "Maybe if we load up the album with a bunch of heavy hitters we can shift some units."

Cynicism aside, The Ride is what we've come to expect from Los Lobos: great neo-classical rock, sharp musicianship, fierce energy. Yet the passionate delivery and eclectic arrangements on three tracks are particularly attention-nabbing. "La Venganze de Los Pelados" is a Mexican-flavored blues featuring Hudson's funky organ as well as Cafuba, a Mexican pop/folk/punk band with a Lobos-like flair for scrambling genres. "Ye Se Va" is a bolero written and sung by Rubades, another Latin musician with a universal approach; the band gives it a comfortable, low key feel. And "Charmed" is Lobos at their rock 'n' roll best, with a blazing, Hendrix-influenced solo by David Hidalgo.

"You could call Los Lobos the Rodney Dangerfield of rock 'n' roll. Despite a glorious career spanning 30 years that includes 12 albums and three Grammys (two Mexican-American, one pop), the band is as far from earning mainstream respect as ever. The Ride probably won't change that, despite the cult favorites who guest star: Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Garth Hudson of the Band, guitar god Richard Thompson and ex-Blaster Dave Alvin. Though all are obvious admirers (and most are also thankless laborers in the same roots rock backyard) there's a faint whiff of record company desperation here as well: ""Maybe if we load up the album with a bunch of heavy hitters we can shift some units.""

Cynicism aside, The Ride is what we've come to expect from Los Lobos: great neo-classical rock, sharp musicianship, fierce energy. Yet the passionate delivery and eclectic arrangements on three tracks are particularly attention-nabbing. ""La Venganze de Los Pelados"" is a Mexican-flavored blues featuring Hudson's funky organ as well as Cafuba, a Mexican pop/folk/punk band with a Lobos-like flair for scrambling genres. ""Ye Se Va"" is a bolero written and sung by Rubades, another Latin musician with a universal approach; the band gives it a comfortable, low key feel. And ""Charmed"" is Lobos at their rock 'n' roll best, with a blazing, Hendrix-influenced solo by David Hidalgo.

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