Alejandro Escovedo – Street Songs of Love (Concord)

It’s been said before, but one of the marks of a true artist is that individual’s constant drive to push the envelope of his art, to not necessarily innovate but to take his own work in unexpected directions. ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO has proven himself a true artist time and again, and continues to do so with his latest album Street Songs of Love.

Hiding just barely beneath the surface of his tasteful, expert craftsmanship and experimental bent has long been the soul of a rocker, one who worshipped the STOOGES, the RAMONES, the VELVET UNDERGROUND and MOTT THE HOOPLE in his youth. That soul overtly manifested itself on several tracks of Escovedo’s last album, the terrific Real Animal. Now, at nearly 60, the Texan and his band the Sensitive Boys give full flower to roaring guitar rock. “Tender Heart,” “This Bed is Getting Crowded” and “Silver Cloud” blast out of the gate, marrying smart lyrics to string-mangling riffs and pounding rhythm. “Anchor” and “Faith” (which features an annoying cameo vocal from Escovedo’s management stablemate BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN) crank the volume on the kind of hooks and singalong chorus that made the previous LP’s “Always a Friend” such a delight. “Street Songs” shifts its tribute to Austin street life from an itchy walking bass line to an overdriven refrain.

All of this isn’t to say the record is wall-to-wall fried amplifiers. “Undesired” moves between wistful choruses and powerhouse bridges. “Fall Apart With You” is a midtempo meditation that few besides Escovedo can pull off successfully. “Meteor Shower” and “Men From Japan” drift mesmerizingly through mysterious clouds of gossamer guitars. “Down in the Bowery,” a celebration of common ground between father and son, is the kind of lighter-waving ballad TOM PETTY would kill to have written. “Tula” swirls through experimental atmosphere like an overlooked outtake from his John Cale-produced opus The Boxing Mirror. Though he adds almost brutal rock power to most of the tracks, Escovedo retains his lyricism throughout, never overwhelming the songs. Escovedo has long set high standards for adult rock & roll, and achieves them easily on Street Songs of Love.

http://www.alejandroescovedo.com
http://www.concordmusicgroup.com