Llegaron los Mocosos - Los Mocosos, Castro, Victor
Caliente - Los Mocosos, Carter, Steve
Soy Callejero - Los Mocosos, Carter, Steve
Shades of Brown - Los Mocosos, Ornelas, P.
Tito Puente - Los Mocosos, Carter, Steve
Spill the Wine - Los Mocosos, Thomas, G.
En el Amor - Los Mocosos, Martinez, J.M.
The Border - Los Mocosos, Martinez, J.M.
El Gran Skalsero - Los Mocosos, Carter, Steve
Mi Barrio Loco - Los Mocosos, Martinez, J.M.
"Welcome to the world of Los Mocosos!" Yes, the snot-nosed rascals from San Francisco's Mission district are back and ready to bring more Chicano noise on Shades of Brown. From the land of Santana, the group came to promin... more »ence with the support of Aztlan Records, the first Spanish-language rock label in the country, which put out the band's acclaimed 1998 debut, Mocos Locos. Founded by Happy Sanchez (bass) and Victor Castro (trombone), Los Mocosos now feature the bilingual rapped and sung verses of lead singer Manny Martinez. Martinez adds much flavor to a sound drenched in the influences of 1970s Latin soul groove bands like Malo, Azteca, El Chicano, and War. Tunes like "Spill the Wine," "Soy Callejero," "Caliente" (also featured on the Escena Alterlatina collection), and their homage to El Rey ("Tito Puente") are street-wise anthems fusing funk, salsa, rock, rap, and ska. Proud of their barrio roots, Los Mocosos take a hard look at the gentrification of their 'hood on "Mi Barrio Loco." And whether you understand Spanglish or not, these are cool cruising sounds for hot summer days. --Jesse "Chuy" Varela« less
"Welcome to the world of Los Mocosos!" Yes, the snot-nosed rascals from San Francisco's Mission district are back and ready to bring more Chicano noise on Shades of Brown. From the land of Santana, the group came to prominence with the support of Aztlan Records, the first Spanish-language rock label in the country, which put out the band's acclaimed 1998 debut, Mocos Locos. Founded by Happy Sanchez (bass) and Victor Castro (trombone), Los Mocosos now feature the bilingual rapped and sung verses of lead singer Manny Martinez. Martinez adds much flavor to a sound drenched in the influences of 1970s Latin soul groove bands like Malo, Azteca, El Chicano, and War. Tunes like "Spill the Wine," "Soy Callejero," "Caliente" (also featured on the Escena Alterlatina collection), and their homage to El Rey ("Tito Puente") are street-wise anthems fusing funk, salsa, rock, rap, and ska. Proud of their barrio roots, Los Mocosos take a hard look at the gentrification of their 'hood on "Mi Barrio Loco." And whether you understand Spanglish or not, these are cool cruising sounds for hot summer days. --Jesse "Chuy" Varela
""Welcome to the world of Los Mocosos!" with that invitation the disc "Shades of Brown" begins and it's a good place to be. Los Mocosos blends old school latin rock with new school rap and lyrics that address today's problems in urban America. This is the best blend I've heard since since any of the first 3 Santana albums. Their tribute to Tito Puente is respectful and their cover of the War classic "Spill The Wine" is fun. I dig this disc & the trip thru Los Mocosos' neighborhood."
Summer Music
braincoat | Zürich | 07/07/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Summer 2001 has arrived, and Shades of Brown is the music to accompany it. If you like Ozomatli, this will be the next record you buy. There are differences between the two, though. This one is less pure latin, less hip-hop, but more funk, jazz and ... pop! A fine mixture, not complex.... Regarding the texts, I agree with the second reviewer. If you don't hear the lines of the chorus of the title track, it's a shame. And 'Spill the Wine', for example, is pretty funny, without any 'political' contents. By the way: what does Mocosos mean?"
Awesome sounds, but poor lyrics
mitzigg04 | VA | 08/01/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I love teh latin sounds on this cd. An excellent band. I feel the whole latin flavor throughout the whole cd. The lyrics on the other hand are pretty poor. They are lame and don't go too much with the music. I think the cd would have been even much better without the lyrics at all!! But the sounds are really great!"
Embarassing
Joseph L. Keohane | Somerville, MA United States | 02/11/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Alright, I will concede that the music on this album is at times sound, which saves it from a one star rating. These guys are capable musicians, and the tunes them selves are decent, not overly inspired, but not bad.The lyrics, though, are terrible. Probably the worst I've heard on any record in a long, long time. And they're even worse when the band attempts to be political ("The Border"), which come off as immature and lacking in insight. The problem is, these guys think they're being profound, when in fact thay're embarassing themselves.If you want Latin fusion, check out Ozomatli, Los Super Seven and, of course, Los Lobos. Steer clear of this clunker."
Very much loved in my neighborhood
Joseph L. Keohane | 07/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Are you ready to dance???? Yeah... These guys are great, the music is Old School style with new meaning... I feel like I am back home in East Los, yes it takes me home... and the song barrio loco.... right on.... I think people are tired of getting out priced in there neighborhood.... aren't we all tired of the high prices and the evictions... its like we have no value as humans, no needs , just move us over, in the name of progress, when will humanity learn??? Is high tec good for everyone, or the choosen who have money..... Same old story... and the poor lose out eh... the guy before did not get it... its not about the neighborhood going multicultrual, it's about being priced out of our neighborhoods.... dam him... were all shades of brown....didn't he hear that...these guys are good, very good and we need more music with vision.. I like the whole CD, very few CD's are like that..."