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Like a ballroom orchestra high on amphetamines, the Los Angeles-based Chicano band Los Lobos conjures up contradictory, even comic, images when it is performing its frantic norteño music--an infectious hybrid of Mexican dance and German polka styles. How Will the Wolf Survive?, the quintet's refreshing debut album, opens with blistering rockabilly, and Cesar Rosas' gravelly vocals on "Don't Worry, Baby," and switches to a sweet country ballad in "A Matter of Time." On the carnival romp of "Corrida #1," David Hidalgo's speedy manipulation of his button accordion produces a euphoric, yodelling effect. Add some full-blooded rock 'n' roll in the style of Bo Diddley, one traditional Mexican ...

Los Lobos may always be identified with “La Bamba,” but the Latino rock band boasts a diverse catalogue. This anniversary edition of its 1992 masterpiece runs from the blues of “The Train Don’t Stop Here” and the Tex-Mex instrumental “Arizona Skies” to the inspired cabaret jazz of “Kiko and the Lavender Moon.”