Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal

Alejandro Escovedo may finally be getting his due on his new album Real Animal. He is touring this Summer with Dave Matthews, he recently shared the stage in Houston with "The Boss" (see video below) and he has a Letterman appearance scheduled for early August. Considering he has been one of the most respected musicians among his peers, he has been in influential bands like Rank & File and True Believers, No Depression named him artist of the decade for the 90's and let's not forget the fact that he almost died a couple of years ago from complications from Hepatitis, it is about damn time. In 2006 he released Boxing Mirror which was a dark reflection on his life and near death experience. On Real Animal he has a new lease on life and is ready to Rock again.

Escovedo's latest release is as reflective as Boxing Mirror but is less dark and celebrates life. In fact, he addresses the subject of enjoying life in "People." However, he does not deny the harsh realities of his past and follows that song up with "Golden Bear" in which he seems to be addressing his recent health issues. The album is a career retrospective covering all of the genres he has crossed in the past. That is a daunting task when your consider that his career covers over 30 years and includes diverse genres like Punk, Post-Punk, Alt-Country, singer-songwriter and string quartet music. To pull this off he enlists the help of former David Bowie producer Tony Visconti. He is also joined on a few tracks by his friend Chick Prophet. Real Animal totally succeeds and even has a potential radio hit in "Always a Friend." It seems Escovedo has been reborn at age 57 and I bet he has a few more great albums in him.

Alejandro and the Boss: