Shades Of Brown

Bilingual and bicultural, San Francisco-based Los Mocosos make no bones about their retro sound, which is steeped in the tradition of such other West Coast Chicano stalwarts as Malo, Tierra, and, of course, Carlos Santana. While everything the group does has a heavy Latin percussion base, the sound veers from the mambo/funk of "Llegaron los Mocosos" to soul and ska, as well as horn riffs reminiscent of Tower of Power. Although Los Mocosos are way too obvious in some cases, notably in "Tito Puente," an homage to the late timbalero with the most predictable lyrics imaginable—such tracks as "Spill the Wine" and "En el Amor" are engrossing tales. More important, there is a cohesive sound and feel to the group, which embodies the growing mish-mash of cultures.—LC