| Only a few years removed from breaking through with their cover of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," Los Lobos turned even more heads with Kiko, a beautifully textured and flawlessly executed musical statement that reveals the group taking on ambitious musical challenges and surmounting every one. In pairing with producer Mitchell Froom, the band yielded this critically acclaimed 1992 set that remains the apex of its distinguished career. Mastered from original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's 180 gram LP of Kiko present the record in previously unimaginable fidelity. In particular, Froom's exquisite production can now be experienced in full relief, with the vintage tape-loop keyboards and spare arrangements yielding an ethereal feel, otherworldly ambience, and colorful finish that complement the ace playing. The subtleties of the richly detailed backdrops-splashed with distortion, feedback, random sound effects, sonorous horns, ominous chants, delicately plucked harps-are greatly enhanced, turning the multifaceted Kiko into the aural equivalent of a sensational IMAX presentation. |
