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Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
- Though not a household name, Texan singer Alejandro Escovedo has been cultivating an underground following for almost 30 years. He can claim Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen as fans, and his newest disc draws connections to both.
From Springsteen there’s the belief in the redemptive power of rock‘n’roll. Played simply and powerfully, the energy on these songs dares anyone to question his age (57), and the omnipresent joy here shows that he’s enjoying the hell out of life after his near-death in 2003 from hepatitis C. His country twang and rootsy politics, though, come straight out of the Earle school of songwriting. Though Escovedo was less than thrilled when older song “Castanets” turned up on President Bush’s iPod favorites, Real Animal is too relentlessly upbeat for any political heckling.
Escovedo distinguishes himself from his famous peers with two unexpected additions to the arsenal of rock instruments: a violin and cello, challenging the standard string ballad use of the instruments with a sound aggressive yet poppy, grating yet accessible. There are other elements at play too – some gospel here, some lounge singing there – but never enough to distract from the desire to knock you out with rock’n’roll power. The guitars are loud, the bass drum thumping, and when Escovedo sings a song about Iggy Pop, he channels the Stooges singer with a wall of sound attack that’ll rattle your ribcage if you’ve got it at the proper volume.
The themes match the sound: simple and direct. There are songs about heartache, songs about girls, songs about society – all the rock staples. Though rarely profound, lines like, “You’re not the first or last I have lied to,” in “Sister Lost Soul,” hit the mark and when he chants, “Nobody gets hurt,” in “Always a Friend,” that seems to embody his musical mantra. Fun and aggressive, but not challenging; rock music the whole family can enjoy. Though occasionally he veers too far towards simplicity, sounding like a Randy Newman parody when he lists all the sorts of people he likes - “I see people, all kinds of people, I see ‘em every day / Wealthy people, downtrodden people, people still finding their way,” in “People (We’re Only Gonna Live So Long)” - the words serve to propel the music in ways accessible and ready for singing along, without too much thought required.
At 13 tracks, however, the power of rock’n’roll eventually begins to falter. Escovedo did some beautiful flamenco work on 2002’s By the Hand of the Father, and if some of that showed up here it could add some much-needed variety to the proceedings. If it does all sound similar by the end though, at least it’s a powerful sound, made up of some of the most redemptive rock songs Bruce never wrote.
Reviewer: Ray Padgett
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7
Reader's Rating: 9.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 16-Jul-2008
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