Los Lonely Boys - 1969 (2009)

On Santana's "Evil Ways," a song that is perfect for these Texans, the brothers created a whole new groove with their usually fine harmony vocals and guitarist Henry Garza's blazing solo. On "Polk Salad Annie" they can't match Tony Joe White's deep baritone voice that was a huge part of the song's appeal but Henry again rides the coda into the sunset with another powerful, bluesy solo. It may be impossible to capture the raw power or the emotion that was always a part of Jim Morrison's singing with The Doors but on "Roadhouse Blues" Los Lonely Boys come mighty close. They also borrow part of the medley from side two of The Beatles' Abbey Road to re-invent "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window." Finally, Buddy Holly's "Well Alright," later covered by Blind Faith, rounds out the set. It too receives the group's funky treatment.
All five are good songs whose originals are hard to top but if you've never heard the old classics you may think that the covers featured on 1969 are ideal. In the end, the versions you prefer may depend solely on which ones are the most familiar to your ears.
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