All Eyes Out For You

Back to the blog

Well, I can no longer belabor my exile from the blogosphere. In case you were wondering where I disappeared to, my June was mostly consumed by a move to a new home (still in Houston, though John C. will rightly dispute my claim to that based on my new zip code). There was a good three weeks or so where I was mostly checked out from a musical standpoint. Some odd shifts have occurred in my listening habits as of late, brought on by my now-standard summertime obsession over guitars. A few of you might be appalled to find out what I’ve been obsessing over lately, and we’ll get to that in short order. So in the interest of getting back to some regular blogging, let’s get a few bullet points out of the way…

• Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ self-titled new album is still my fave of the year so far. In fact, some of the credit/blame for my recent classic rock obsession should be laid at their feet for conjuring such a 1970’s vibe. It’s been a bit disheartening to see that the record hasn’t really caught fire, despite the standard recent appearances on Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel (they did manage not to slip from the #184 slot on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart last week). There’s really no reason this album shouldn’t be some kind of hit, but it certainly exemplifies how ineffective the major-label bag of tricks is these days. Here’s hoping there are still plenty of fans out there to be won over by GPN’s best record yet. Will a second music video make any difference (even one with French strippers)? Probably not.
• Alejandro Escovedo’s new record Street Songs Of Love is probably my second favorite of the year and similarly evokes a certain golden era of rock and roll. If you thought Real Animal was an unapologetic rock album, you ain’t heard nothing to you hear this thing blast from your speakers.
• The Black Crowes are celebrating their 20th Anniversary in high style with the release of Croweology, a double CD collection of acoustic versions of songs mostly from their first four albums. It’s indulgent and overly long, and also a real treat for longtime fans. It’s kind of interesting how smoothly they’ve locked into this Band-like vibe between this and their last album Before The Frost… Certainly not for the casual listener but obviously a must-have for fans. And make special note that their upcoming tour will be the band’s last for some time while the Crowes take an indefinite hiatus after enjoying a creative resurgence over the past few years.
• Sheryl Crow’s new album 100 Miles From Memphis was co-produced by guitar great Doyle Bramhall II, and it does indeed often capture the soulful spirit of the city in the title. It’s my favorite Crow record in a long while, and maybe sometime I’ll bore you with a post about how I’m slavishly devoted to the idea that Sheryl Crow is capable of another great record. This one is better in small doses – none of the tracks are anything less than solid, but they tend to mine the same territory repeatedly. Still, it’s a mildly adventurous album by Crow’s standards, and it’s to her great credit that she’s still giving it her best effort.
• Okay, I admit I’ve been really diving headlong into guitar-hero music lately, and it’s probably not an exaggeration to claim that I’ve listened to almost nothing but Clapton, Hendrix and Stevie Ray for almost a solid three week stretch. I finally picked up Hendrix’s recent Valleys Of Neptune, which is a fantastic album of unreleased stuff featuring several alternate versions of well-known tracks. Even better is the just-released Sony Legacy Edition of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand The Weather, which features a few unreleased tracks and an entire show recorded in Montreal. I’d also like to note that Craig Hopkins has created a fantastic tribute book to SRV. He has had 3000 copies self-published, and it will be published by Hal Leonard/BackBeat Books in two parts starting in the fall of this year (pre-order from Amazon here). But the full volume is probably worth grabbing now as a collector’s item. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the new guitar is a Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster.
• I caught Robert Plant & The Band of Joy out at The Woodlands about two weeks ago. Since the new record is not yet out (due Sept. 14), I was sort of expecting a lot of laid-back material in the vein of Raising Sand. I was also expecting an open revolt of Zep-heads. On both fronts, I was pleasantly surprised. Plant was in awesome form, and I guess it goes without saying that his band – which features Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin and Darrell Scott – was unreal. Plant was generous with the spotlight, and the crowd was deliriously enthralled. Oh, and Bettye LaVette opened the show and I’m pretty sure conjured a violent thunderstorm with her set-closing rendition of The Who’s “Love Reign Over Me”. Incredible.
• I’ve actually been listening The Allman Brothers. Dear God help us all.
• The Derek Trucks Band will be taking a break while Trucks works on music with his wife, Susan Tedeschi (!). The band’s parting shot is a double live album Roadsongs recorded in Chicago last year. It’s fantastic – everything I admire about Trucks’ band amped up to 11.
• Lest you think I’ve lost all touch with my roots, next weekend I’ll be heading to North Adams, MA, for the Solid Sound Festival, aka the Wilco Super-Dork Fest. My good friend Babalugats and I also have designs on visiting the Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, PA (which is close to ‘Lugats’ home in PA). He really wants me to try to weasel a “press credential” or something, but I think it’s safe to assume that every attendee at Solid Sound will be a music blogger.

Blurt: Alejandro Escovedo

Here's an amazing interview with Alejandro Escovedo and Chuck Prophet, who recount the evolution of Escovedo's new album Real Animal - still one of my favorite records of 2008.

Incidentally, Alejandro was scheduled to make a swing through Houston, Dallas an Ft. Worth later this month, but those dates were cancelled.  He was scheduled to play the intimate Bend Studio here in Houston, but I'd much rather see him on this tour in a rock venue.  Hopefully, those dates will be rescheduled soon, and hopefully in a venue befitting a Real Animal like Escovedo.

UPDATE:  Great acoustic session and interview over at NPR - click here.

Alejandro in Austin American-Statesman

As you've likely noticed, it's Alejandro Escovedo week over here at the Ramblings.  Here's yet another great article, this one from his hometown paper (great backstory about joining Springsteen onstage).  I guess Alejandro is taking the stage at the Continental Club in Austin right about this second, come to think of it.

Alejandro Escovedo - 'Real Animal': The Ramblings review

Holy fuck, this is a great album!  Now that I've gotten your attention - and possibly offended you - let me clarify my point.  Real Animal is one of Alejandro Escovedo's best albums, which is to say, this is a fucking great record.

And now that I've proven myself to be both profane and inarticulate, let me further note that Escovedo has never before put together a package that blends his entire musical history so seamlessly, and he acknowledges his past without ever leaning too heavily on it.  This is a tribute to his former bands and former cities, but in that way it also serves as a love letter to Rock and Roll in general.  It doesn't matter that Escovedo actually lived these adventures.  If he hadn't, he'd need to make them up.  Real Animal is the Great American Rock and Roll Manifesto, delivered by an artist at the absolute peak of his powers.  It manages to be both romantic and clear-eyed about the past.  What's more American than that?

Escovedo has made many terrific albums.  Some might argue he's made nothing but.  Following his bout with Hepatitis C, he emerged with 2006's deeply introspective and mostly brilliant The Boxing Mirror.  Produced by John Cale, it was a deep dive into his recent history, full of minor-chord reflections on mortality and struggle.  It also took full advantage of Escovedo's pioneering "chamber rock," which incorporates cellos and violins alongside guitars and drums.  The Boxing Mirror was a gorgeous revitalization of Escovedo's artistry, but it sounded mostly like what you'd expect - mature and bittersweet.  But Real Animal is a celebration, sometimes a racous and debauched throwdown but also balanced by many quieter moments.  Some might even complain that the juxtaposition can be jarring, but Escovedo leaves no doubt that he is the master of every style he lays his guitar pick on.  The disparate elements might crumble in lesser hands, but they positively shine from every angle in his.

Special kudos should also be give to cool cat Chuck Prophet, who has made several great records of his own (including last year's Soap and Water).  Prophet co-wrote every song on Real Animal and was obviously a productive partner for Escovedo.  Producer Tony Visconti, hand-picked for his history with Bowie and T. Rex, puts a glorious, sparkling sheen on the proceedings while retaining the spontaneous spirit of the songs.

Back in April, I saw Escovedo join Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band onstage for a version of Real Animal's opening track "Always A Friend."  What was striking was how comfortable that song sounded in an arena with 16,000 people.  Escovedo might not be as popular as The Boss - not even by a long shot - but he is every bit the Rock Star that Springsteen is.  Even from the cheap seats, that was pretty obvious.

(Here's a great article from JamBase that traces the threads of Real Animal and Escovedo's musical biography.)

Alejandro on the Today Show

Alejandro Escovedo performed "Always A Friend" on the Today Show yesterday...

BTW, I spent the better part of the day proud to be a Texan, thanks to Alejandro.  But Sen. John Cornyn is determined to keep me humble.  Good grief:

I'm not aware of any serious challenge to his Senate seat, but for crying out loud, Democrats ought to find a decent candidate and run that ad 24-7.