Gvien Alejandro's well publicized battle with health issues and near death experience, the release of his first album in numerous years attracted attention. Escovedo is, in my mind, the best singer/songwriter rocker that most Americans have never heard of. I have seen him twice and both times went away impressed with his songwriting and is ability to put together a great set.
This album is very strong. I enjoy "Arizona" and "Dearhead on the Wall" which are great songs. His "Evita's Lullaby" about his late father is a great example of his craft--weaving cello, guitar and drum all together. Alejandro may be the first rocker I ever saw who traveled with his own cellist, and I love that sound. In fact, he also released an album called Room of Songs as the Alejandro Escovedo String Quartet which has an absolute amazing version of "Baby's got new plans."
Give his work a listen. This is a good place to start, but he has several strong albums. Gravity has amazing songs like "Broken Bottle," "Pyramid of Tears," "Bury Me" and "I wish I was your mother (cover)." A Man Under the Influence includes some of my favorites including "Castanets," "Rhapsody" and "Across the River." And With These Hands has multiple versions of two songs I consider damn close to perfect: "Put you down" and "Crooked Frame" to say nothing of the wonderful "Pissed off 2 am."
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