Los Lonely Boys Album: “Forgiven”

What I loved about these guys was their latin rock vibe (Senorita), the latin rhythms (Oye Mamacita) and the interplay with spanish lyrics..(Heaven)...And a whole lot of Henry's guitar (Onda)....Well, there is none of that here..Well, some guitar but not enough for me...Henry, you're fantastic...Don't hold back, brother.

My two favorite songs from this record are the two bonus tracks you only get if you buy from Wal-Mart. ("There's A War Tonight" and "Guero In The Barrio"...Who's that singing?)

But there are some good songs here. "Make It Better" could have been written by Paul McCartney, and "Staying With Me" should be a solid hit. The bottom line is that LLB is the best "live" band in the country. This cd doesn't convey how good LLB is, and I hope this is not the direction they (Epic) is going with them.

Los Lonely Boys's third studio effort took a few listens to get acquainted with, but now I'm happy to say I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It has some great blues-rockers such as the hard-hitting Heart Won't Tell A Lie and the funky I'm A Man, and Superman, which features drummer/brother Ringo Garza on vocals (message to the band: let him sing more next time). The song Cruel is another favorite, very funky and moody. The album also has some great slower songs, like like the pleading Forgiven, the soaring Make It Better, and the breezy Staying With Me. Staying With Me is a great song, and I find myself hearing it in my head a lot. But I do have a problem with this being the first single. I do wish that LLB would show their rock side in their singles a bit more, and not just play up the Heaven angle everytime. A small quibble though. I think they should've hit with I'm A Man or Heart Won't Tell A Lie, and then follow up with Staying With Me. Just me though. Still not up to par with their debut, but that's okay, because there's plenty to like here. Besides, it's going to be awful hard to top that one! They may not ever have another hit like Heaven (although I certainly hope so, because they're so good) but with this album LLB have shown that they will have something to offer the world for a long time to come.

This CD is more like the first LLB record, which is the best effort by the Garza brothers. "Sacred" had a depressing feeling to it and wasnt as good at what LLB do best. And what they do best is soulful blues with harmony. "Forgiven" is a well written and performed album. It does have a more bluesy feel then the last record. My only real complaint is that most of the songs are under 4 minutes.

These guys are truly some of the most gifted musicians on the planet.

BUY FORGIVEN!!!!

Los Lonely Boys Rock. Every song is awesome and DIFFERENT. You either like them or not. People en Espanol's editors review sucks. LLB in concert, Rock. If you have a chance to hear them in concert, do so. These guys are down to earth. I highly recommend Forgiven and if you want a great Christmas songs cd, check LLB Christmas Spirit. Yes, it Rocks too and all the songs sound different yet with their style.

WoW! Thank you for another album that won't leave my CD player for a long time. The Boys just keep getting better. Heart Won't Tell A Lie is a rockin' turn it up and sing it out loud song (even though I can't sing). Make It Better is very Beatle-ish. 2 of my other favorites are Another Broken Heart and Loving You Always. Also There's A War Tonight(Wal-Mart version). Heck, really I could list them all here, there are all EXCELLENT. There's not a single song I skip over when listening to it. They all really shine here. Buy this album and you will NOT be disappointed. Anyone who gives it less than 4 stars needs to listen to it again, and again. Gracias Garza brothers and familia for putting a smile on my face.