Finally! After three years, four different editions of their self-titled debut, a couple of live outings, a handful of singles, and the radio smash hit Heaven, San Angelo, TX, wunderkinds Los Lonely Boys drop Sacred, their second studio album. The Garza brothers -- Henry (guitar), JoJo (bass), and Ringo (drums) -- up the ante on this slab; it's a big production number that includes additional keyboards, horns, and extra percussion muscle. Does it take away from the immediacy of their debut? Nope. This is not the ill-fated sophomore slump. Sacred is, for the most part, an uptempo, rollicking, streetwise Texas rock record with many surprises. The Garza brothers' lyric writing is still developing, but the tightknit arrangements, popping grooves, and focused musicianship more than balance. The album's first single is Diamonds, and true to corporate rock standards, it's an utterly catchy, infectious little track, but it's far from the best thing here. Henry's blistering guitar offers a beautiful hook for the trio to sing off of; it's a simple, hooky midtempo love ballad, played on stun, with two organs (played by Reese Wynans and Mike Finnegan) and producer John Porter lending a second guitar. All mixed up, it creates a big swirling danceable pop noise that will be instantly memorable to anyone who encounters it. That said, there are other cuts here that reveal the depths of the bandmembers' musical knowledge and ideas that they are capable of pulling off. Take Roses as an example. Henry's Jimi Hendrix-cum-Stevie Ray Vaughan-cum-Albert Collins guitar style flat out creates a groove for the trio to sing from -- its melody is sophisticated, entrancing, and layered through with B-3 fills. Ringo's polyrhythmic drum style and Carl Perazza's hand drums, the shimmering acoustic guitars, and the guitar solo make this the best driving track of 2006 so far.

1		My Way
2		Órale
3		Diamonds
4		Oye Mamacita
5		I Never Met A Woman
6		Roses
7		Texican Style
8		One More Day
9		Memories
10		My Loneliness
11		Outlaws
12		Home
13		Living My Life

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