Los Super Seven: Heard It On The X : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

This record is a fine tribute to the hot sound of the original clear channel: the "X" stations -- XERB, XEG, XERF among them -- which once broadcast unregulated from Mexico, selling miracle laxatives and autographs of Christ amid 100,000-watt blasts of Bob Wills and the Carter Family. The pileup of country, norteno and R&B that is Texas music would not exist without border radio. Nor would most of this edition of Los Super 7. Singers Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett and Delbert McClinton step into "X"-vintage covers such as Little Willie John's "Talk to Me" and Bobby Fuller's "Let Her Dance" like old skin, while Ruben Ramos delivers ZZ Top's title song con salsa. The house band is Calexico, with guitarist Charlie Sexton. And Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown delivers the blues "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" like he expects to be here long enough to see you do the job right.