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ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO - A Man Under The Influence
I found this particular Alejandro gem, the newest and - like a carpenter who just gets better and better as he masters his or her trade - his best thus far, in a store in Pittsburgh where my friend, musician Bill Toms and his partner, Ron used to ply their trade. (unfortunately my last visit to Pittsburgh found them gone).
The album starts with the intensely beautiful chamber group meets modern band sound Escovedo has championed the last few years. The band lays down a subtle sexy wall of sound for the world weary Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave/Mark Lanegan-ish vocals:
"Wave
Goodbye, everybody waves goodbye
Climb aboard
the train, turn and wave goodbye again,
Some go North,
Some go South
Maybe East,
some left town
Some are rich,
some are poor,
Everybody's got
to wave
Wave Goodbye,
they headed for the other side
The Sun shines
brighter there
Everyone's got
golden hair"
Everyone is on the
move, everyone searching for his or her spot in the sun as Alejandro
stays in the Cohen/Cave vocal groove, quietly understating the human
condition or the legend of a million Hollywood celluloid tales. But
rather than just a bitter tale of disillusionment, it's a beautiful warning.
Don't you cry,
I made it to the other side
The sun's not
brighter here
It only shines
on those with golden hair."
WAVE
The music is Texas dirt meets pop sensibility with lyrics out of a Joe Ely, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, early Jagger-Richards, Ray Davies grit without sounding like any of them. With the cello, violins and rock guitars mixing textures like a French chef with a ten minute deadline, "A Man Under the Influence" drags you so laconically throughout the breakup of a longtime relationship with such style and grace, you hardly notice the whiplash you're suffering as Alejandro Escovedo tries to find a place to stand where he can cherish the past, endure the present and reach longingly to a better future.
But it's "Across the River" where you find your heart being squeezed way beyond the ersatz country on CMT.
I saw your face
across the river
Without a
trace, they all lapsed into gray
The old men
said they all heard the laughter
And then the
laughter seemed to fade away.
What kind of
love destroys a mother
And sends her
crashing through the tangled trees
What kind of
love destroys another
And sends them
crashing through the tangled trees
Even the guitars cry as the long time relationship dissolves
The old men say
that they saw you walking
The old men say
you seemed to fade away
What kind of
love destroys a mother
And sends her
crashing through the tangled trees&ldots;&ldots;
ACROSS
THE RIVER
But like most songwriters, Escovedo looks for a way to survive. And a trip to the cantina shows him the wicked rock and roll way. Sex and sweat and his rock and roll best. Crashing, stunning rock and roll opens the best Stones song since the Stones could still roll. Or think Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters blues reality as Escovedo ruminates over his favorite waitress. Or think Marty Robbins laying down his life in a cantina in the Mexican badlands. But shake your ass while you're thinking.
She plays
castanets, she works without a net
I like her
better when she walks away
I like the sun
shining through her dress
I like her
better when she walks away
I like her hair
when it's a tangled mess
I like it
better when she walks away.
CASTANETS
The fact that this little rock and roll gem will never make the radio just reiterates the tiredness and trenchant mediocrity that floats the airwaves. This is a simple shot of lust that has nothing to do with little pouty girls bouncing their barely pubescent breasts so that aging station programmers can pretend they're with it. This has to do with real women and real men. Try it you might like it.
I could go on and on because this so far is the best record of 2001. And this well seasoned veteran has heard more than his share. But this one covers all the moods of music for some one to whom music and maturity are a constant struggle at the same time as they are a constant delight and source of inspiration. Put this on and use your heart, your head and your ass. You'll be sending me thank you letters if you can stop playing it long enough to write. Russ Ketter
ALEJANDRO ESCOVERDO - A Man Under the Influence..Bloodshot CD