Soul Disguise

On this fine solo-album debut, it comes as no surprise to find veteran Los Lobos singer-songwriter-guitarist Cesar Rosas revisiting the R&B, soul, roots-rock, and norteño ingredients that made his East L.A. band's musical stew so compelling. What's revealing is Rosas's willingness to deconstruct his Grammy-winning band's sound back to its constituent components, making Soul Disguise play like a loving journey across borders both musical and national. Rosas largely eschews the slick production values of '90s-vintage Los Lobos for considerably more grit and funk. Here he tackles with playful abandon everything from traditional Tex-Mex (his own "Angelito" and a cover of "Adios Mi Vida," both with legend Flaco Jiminez adding his distinctive accordion flourishes) to a swampy version of Ike Turner's "You've Got to Lose." Rosas stubs his toe only once, on the '70s-ish acoustic utopian ballad "Better Way." Similar journeys have been made by everyone from Steve Miller and Ry Cooder to precliché ZZ Top; it's Rosas's excursions into Stax and New Orleans R&B territory (like the delicious "Struck" and the funky "Shack and Shambles"), along with his sharp border-music and blues-roots sense, that makes Soul Disguise so distinct and satisfying. --Jerry McCulley  more