This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Time is obviously one thing the guys in Los Lobos have on their side.
Just look at them — after more than 25 years together, they’re still going strong, still as productive as ever. In fact, they’ve become even more productive. In the past 12 months, there have already been four, count ’em four Lobos-adjacent releases: The Los Super Seven album co-starring Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo with another handful of Latin artists; the second disc from Hidalgo and Louis Perez’s Latin Playboys; a Rosas solo album; and a CD from Houndog, Hidalgo’s other side project. Frankly, it can wear you out just trying to keep it all straight.
They, on the other hand, seem to find it all invigorating, judging by their new CD This Time — the fifth Lobos-related release in the last year and easily the finest. In fact, for my money, it’s their finest album in several years, one that effortlessly combines the roots-rock of their earlier works like … And A Time To Dance and How Will The Wolf Survive? with the experimental sounds of recent outings like Kiko, Colossal Head and Latin Playboys’ Dose.
The key word there is effortlessly. From the opening title track, which uses a scratchy, trip-hoppy drum loop as the foundation for a sweet soulful ballad, to the closer Why We Wish, a mutant mariachi rocker that descends into a swirling, cross-fading denouement, every one of This Time’s 11 tracks — be it a moody studio construct with loops and samples, a bar room raveup with spaced-out organ or traditional Latin bolero jacked up with fuzz-tone guitars — seems unforced, playful and natural. Now that they can all get their creative ya-yas out in their individual side projects, it seems they can come together to make music just for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Not that This Time, despite its upbeat tracks and joyous vibe, is a frivolous affair. Mortality, aging, perdition and heartbreak all weigh heavily on the Lobos’ minds this time around. “Why do the days go by so fast? If only time was built to last,” they lament in the album’s opening seconds, only to conclude a few minutes later that we should just be “glad to still be breathing, glad to be alive.”
In other words, even if you have time on your side, don’t forget that it’s still running out — and enjoy every second of it while you can.
