"Los Lobos Goes Disney" sounds like a really, really bad PG-rated movie. And yet in actuality, it's a really, really entertaining cover album from one of Los Angeles' most enduring rock bands.
Even I'll admit that the opener, a cover of "Heigh-Ho," by The Seven Dwarves (which, incidentally, would be a pretty awesome name for a punk band) is a little corny at first, but with a raging percussion and horn section, they turn it into a high-energy rave-up about the morning commute.
"Cruella de Vil," from "101 Dalmatians," is a slinky blues number, the bands puts a shuffling spin on "Bare Necessities," from "Jungle Book," and if you didn't already know it from a Disney movie, you'd swear "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" was an old Grateful Dead song.
The group steers away from heavy shlock in their song selection, opting for lesser-known songs like "Ugly Bug Ball" ("Summer Magic"), "Not in Nottingham" ("Robin Hood") and "Grim Grinning Ghosts") ("The Haunted Mansion"), which they turn into a bouncy minor-key reggae skank.
For kids, this album will be a nifty, new spin on some of their favorite Disney songs. For adults, it's an excellent nostalgia trip with a modern twist.
Hear samples from "Los Lobos Goes Disney" at Amazon.com.
Sussex Countian
