The average Joe don't know Los Lobos from Taco Del Mar except for that lambada shit from a few years back. (I mean "La Bamba." Whoops!) A guy like that may be surprised to know that Lobos has a 20+ year history and, weirder still, this is the first solo album from anyone within the band. Frontguy Cesar Rosas (also busy with the Latin Playboys) has crafted a solid album of roots rock, the perfect compliment to your next few rounds of cerveza. The music itself is simple, but the intensity of the players adds enough juice to even the deadest of three- chord cliches to make you a believer.

Well, almost. It doesn't take a loco bandito to get skeptical at first, seeing as how the opening cut, "Little Heaven," is muy bad. If Rosas weren't in his 40s, you could imagine this song being used in a "Dawson's Creek" montage. Luckily, Rosas manages to bury his opener in a wake of rippin' rock and roll. "Tough to Handle" stumbles and swaggers its way to a gritty, bluesy chorus of rocket fuel. The title cut-- my personal favorite on the disc-- blends rock, psychedelia, and Tex Mex without blinking. "Better Way" is a simple but poignant ballad that sounds like it came straight from the know- all piehole. Damn that Rosas and his worldly knowledge! Add in a few appearances by accordion legend Flaco Jimenez and some kicking horns and it's no longer simple rock and roll. It's obvious that Rosas knows what he's doing and he's not afraid to add a couple of decidedly un-rock elements to prove that x equals y.

To put it in the context of a ready- made pullquote, Soul Disguise is all about low riding, high living, and all points inbetween.

-Jason Josephes