By Doug Hill

pop writer

In our listening collection, Los Lobos is one of the few bands with albums on vinyl, cassette and CD. Writing this I'm listening to their newest release, "Los Lobos Goes Disney" on Media Player.

These wolves have grown gray but probably will never grow good, in the sense of being tame beasts. Musically, they're still bad to the bone and nowhere near being an endangered species. Even cutting an album of covers from beloved white bread movies, Los Lobos has found ways to make them dangerously hip. Singing Snow White's "Heigh Ho" in guttural Spanish with a frenetic accordion score will undoubtedly be viewed askance in some circles.

A question came to mind before the Los Lobos concert Oct. 28 at the Sooner Theatre. Will this be an AARP-only audience? In the lobby before the show, B.J. Zorn, 23, of Norman proved otherwise.

"I've been listening to them since childhood because my dad's a fan," she said. "He always played their albums in the truck and got me hooked."

Zorn named records "By the Light of the Moon" (1987) and ground-breaking "Kiko" (1992) as her favorites.

"My dad would quiz me about various aspects of their songs," she said. "I've never seen them live, so it's really exciting tonight."

The Duhks

This young Winnipeg, Manitoba quintet was not listed on the bill, but it was a real treat to hear them for the first time.

The Duhks attractive ability to jump between genres was a thrill. Their set sped through Zydeco, Afro-Cuban and Nashville flavors. Intensity and virtuosity won them a standing ovation at close. They combined subtle musicality on soulful tunes with straight ahead rock on others.

Sarah Dugas threatened the fire code with her incendiary lead vocals. She has a deep, rich voice that's entrancing. Tania Elizabeth's wild violin passages were eye and ear openers.

It was appropriate that these French-Canadian kids paid homage to Cajun music. And even though Quebec and New Orleans are separated by 1,800 miles, the two, originally occupied by French colonists, share a culture influenced by their Franco-American heritage.

They performed "Toujours Vouloir" from their sweet disc "Fast Paced World" (2008, Sugar Hill Records). "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time" was bravely copied and pasted with "Whole Lotta Love."