Los Lonely Boys know they are set up for a fall with their new album, “Sacred.”
That’s because two years ago the trio of blues rockers–brothers Ringo, Henry and JoJo Garza–charmed the nation with the irresistible song “Heaven.”
“Heaven” was the song of summer 2004, leaping from format to format–Americana to rock to country to pop. People couldn’t get enough of it and the brothers from San Angelo, Texas. Of the 2.2 million copies their self-titled debut sold, “Heaven” single-handedly sold about 2 million of those.
But success has a downside. If “Sacred,” out Tuesday, sells 500,000 copies, it’ll be considered a bust in some circles. If radio can’t find a “Heaven” in the mix, then some in the music business will think that Los Lonely Boys are on the way down.
“The label’s expectations for the new album are higher than ours,” said Henry, 28, in the band’s tour bus before a July 4 show in Houston. “We just want people to like it.”
The new disc introduces a horn section and keyboardist Michael Ramos to the blues-rock mix of the Garza brothers.
“Tell you the truth, I don’t give a [bleep] how well it does,” said Ringo, 24. “Everybody keeps asking us if we feel any pressure because the first record did so well. We don’t think like that. It’s a waste of time.”
“We don’t want to compete with ourselves,” said JoJo, 26.
New songs have not come easily to the brothers, who’d spent nearly 18 months solid on tour after “Heaven.” When the Garzas went into the studio, they had ideas, riffs, half-finished songs, but few complete numbers. But they cooked when the clock was ticking, with “Sacred’s” opening number, “My Way,” setting a defiant tone. “Don’t tell me how to live my life/ Don’t tell me how to pray/ Don’t tell me how to sing my song/ Don’t tell me what to say,” Henry sings, then rips out a stinging lead. His guitar tone melts the marrow.
“There were a lot of fingers in our pie,” Henry said, explaining the song’s inspiration.
Even though the Garzas are listed as co-producers on this one (“We co-produced the last album, too, but we didn’t get any credit,” Ringo groused), they had to fight for their creative freedom.
“Some people have a lot riding on us, and they were getting too involved, man. That song’s about taking control of the music,” Henry said.
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That the album ends with another declaration of independence, “Living My Life,” attests to another downside of success. All of a sudden there are all these people who know what’s best for you.
After receiving the “finished” album and not hearing a hit, Epic sent the boys back to record “Diamonds,” a song found on a self-released 1996 Los Lonely Boys album.
“It’s funny, but no one [at the label] picked ‘Heaven’ to be the first single,” Henry said. “They picked ‘Real Emotions.’ It wasn’t until after [radio station] KGSR started playing ‘Heaven’ off the album that anyone thought of that as a radio song.”
On Independence Day in Houston, the Garza brothers seemed hungry again, like they had something to prove all over. New songs, new resolve.
“It’s a rush, man, playing these new songs, waiting for our new album to come out,” Henry said. “It feels like we’re starting over.”