All Grown Up
Hip Spanic, 2020
8/10
The Bay Area legends Los Mocosos return with their first album in a decade and a half, and they certainly make it worth the wait as the mash many genres and bring in plenty of help across 11 very meticulous and very fun tracks.
The title track starts the listen with lively horns and playful percussion on the soulful and melodic funk rocker, and “United We Stand” keeps the good times flowing with strong organ prowess across the rhythmic and Latin influenced setting.
Near the middle, “Caminos” trims the pace back with a soaring display of multi-faceted rock, while “Memories Of Love” finds a romantic place to reside with an oldies feel amid incredible vocals. “It’s All Good”, one of the record’s best, then works a soft, retro angle with no shortage of grooves.
Late in the listen, “Brothers & Sisters” benefits from group vocals and energetic percussion alongside punchy horns, and the Pistel Remix of the title track exits the listen with a dance rock quality and spacey sounds populating the adventurous finish.
Los Mocosos never actually broke up, although the core members have been quite busy with other creative projects in recent years. Let’s hope that they don’t take so long before another release, because their varied delivery and topical political and social subject matter is certainly good for the mind, body and spirit.
Travels well with: Ozomatli- Ozomatli; Los Lobos- Gates Of Gold