Cesar Rosas – Soul Disguise

The members of Los Lobos are not apt to sit idle between albums. Through side projects such as the Latin Playboys and Los Super Seven, the boys from East L.A. certainly keep themselves busy. So it’s no surprise that guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Cesar Rosas should pass time between releases with the wide-ranging Soul Disguise, his first solo effort.

But while the CD will likely keep the Los Lobos devotee entertained, it fails to come together as well as it could. Rosas dips into several musical styles, including a little bit of soul, some conjunto-flavored tunes, and blues. The blues tracks are the most troublesome; while some, such as Ike Turner’s “You’ve Got To Lose”, slither along, others, particularly “Tough To Handle” and “Treat Me Right”, rely too heavily on cliches and lack power. The guitar solos also begin to wear thin after awhile, especially on the wah-wah coda to the title track.

Rosas excels when he takes the soul route, with punchy horns accentuating such tracks as “Struck”, which sounds like a lost ’60s classic, and “Shack And Shambles”, which has a playful bounce to it. The conjunto- tinged cuts “Angelito” and “Adios Mi Vida”, both augmented by Flaco Jimenez’s darting accordion, are also solid.

Though the CD certainly shows off Rosas’ versatility, he ultimately tries to do too much, resulting in an effort a bit too wobbly to stand on its own.