“Los Lobos Goes Disney” has appealing array of theme park, movie music

Los Lobos will perform at Epcot Nov. 6-8.

Our music critic Jim Abbott loaned me his copy of “Los Lobos Goes Disney,” a compilation of Disney songs from both movies and theme parks, mostly Magic Kingdom. My expectations weren’t that high. I’ve sampled a mishmash of the Disney compilations without stand-out memories. But this Los Lobos effort, released this week,  is in heavy rotation in my car’s player already.

"Los Lobos Goes Disney" was released Oct. 27, 2009.

I’m no Los Lobos aficionado, but Jim says the Disney disc is representative of the group’s laid-back and Southern eclectic feel. Jim likes the decidedly down-tempo version of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” and also gives high marks to “Bella Notte” from Lady and the Tramp and “Heigh-Ho” (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).

I’m drawn to “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You,” but that could be reflective of my youthful obsession with The Jungle Book. However, as a kid, “Be Like You” didn’t have so much stalker overtones. (“I wanna be like you / I wanna walk like you / Talk like you, too / You’ll see it’s true / An ape like me / Can learn to be human too”)

Moving on. I also like “Grim Grinning Ghosts” from Haunted Mansion, especially the instrumentation.

But beware, there are earworms aboard. Surprisingly, it’s not the “When You Wish Upon a Star”/”It’s a Small World” medley that bounces around my brain so much as “Oo-De-Lally” from Robin Hood. Who knew?

Hear comes the happy synergy part: Los Lobos will be performing in Epcot’s Eat to the Beat concert series Nov. 6-8. The performances are part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. No word on if they’ll break into Disneyana, but would you be surprised? Show times each day are 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. at the America Gardens Theatre.

After the jump: a complete song list from “Los Lobos Goes Disney.”

1. Heigh-Ho (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

2. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Jungle Book)

3. Not in Nottingham (Robin Hood)

4. The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room (The Enchanted Tiki Room)

5. Grim Grinning Ghosts (Haunted Mansion)

6. I Will Go Sailing No More (Toy Story)

7. The Ugly Bug Ball (Summer Magic)

8. Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)

9. Bella Notte (Lady and the Tramp)

10. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South)

11. The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book)

12. Oo-De-Lally (Robin Hood)

13. When You Wish Upon a Star/It’s a Small World (Pinocchio/”it’s a small  world”)