Blackjack David

Dave Alvin | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 16, 1998
• Label: Hightone Records
• Genres: Country/Alt-Country & Americana, Pop/Singer-Songwriters, Rock/Roots Rock, Rock/Singer-Songwriters
• ASIN: B0014FUTYM
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The work of a genuine troubadour..., August 5, 1999

By 

S. Kurtz (Almost Asbury Park) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blackjack David (Audio CD)

It's hard for me to be objective about any work from Dave Alvin...I just respect his music so much. But even I wasn't ready for the beauty of the title track, which has proven to be a truly haunting theme since this album was released. I must have listened to it a dozen times before I was ready to tackle the rest of this album. Dave Alvin is, in my estimation, the most underrated, overlooked artist of our time but I really don't think it matters to him. He had a (sort of) heyday with The Blasters, but comparing those times with these is like comparing The Dark Ages with The Industrial Revolution. Two periods, albeit prolific, nonetheless completely different. With "BLACKJACK DAVID", Alvin continues with what he does best...songs about people, songs about situations, and songs about love, loss, heartache, redemption, and hope. He can rock and roll ya one minute ("Abilene" or "New Highway") and have ya crying tears of poignant melancholy the next ("California Snow" or "1968"). He surrounds himself with crackerjack musicians, The Guilty Men, his touring band, and others who complement his music well. You can't buy a bad Dave Alvin record; it's as simple as that. And the best thing is, if this is your first Dave Alvin album, what a trip you have in store. Go back for classics like "KING OF CALIFORNIA" and "BLUE BLVD." and "INTERSTATE CITY". I feel privileged to appreciate artists like Garnet Rogers, Peter Himmelman, and Dave Alvin. Their music transcends the norm...it truly comes from the heart and soul of the artist himself. You can listen to what everyone else is listening to, or you can listen to great music performed by great artists. Dave Alvin is a great artist and a wonderful musician. "BLACKJACK DAVID" is a keeper. Do yourself a favor.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars California's Best Songwriter, November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Blackjack David (Audio CD)

Those of us who live in Southern California have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of Dave Alvin over the years. Along with Tom Russell, Dave Alvin is one of America's greatest songwriters. He and Russell teamed up to write "California Snow" for this CD -- possibly one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. The song 1968 was previously recorded by Chris Gaffney. This album's version doesn't rock like Gaffney's but will affect your emotions as well. Other terrific songs include all of them but especially the title track and Mary Brown.

For those of you who have never seen Dave live, check out the Hightone Records web site and find out when he comes to your town. He recently opened for Bob Dylan in the East Coast and tours regularly. Seeing him now is a treasure -- it must be similar to those who saw Bruce Springsteen in Asbury Park before he became famous and moved to Beverly Hills.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Music, December 12, 2001

By 

"herbancowgirl" (Wimberley, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackjack David (Audio CD)

I've been listening to Dave Alvin in form or another for going on 20 years now. While I'll admit I prefer his Stratocaster to his Martin, I can say with conviction I LOVE every single record he's ever made from the Blasters on. This record is particularly compelling. Listen to "Mary Brown" and you'll realize that even Bob Dylan doesn't write better songs than Dave Alvin. I've read a lot about his limited vocal abilities and have to say that I totally disagree with that perspective. His raggged-but-right vocals on Romeo's Escape are charming (and there's more Strat there too!) and the vocals get better with each record. I think the vocals on this record are absolutely beautiful, especially "Tall Trees". The reason for 4 stars instead of five is that I don't really care for "California Snow" (maybe its a personal problem - I bet Dave owns a Tom Russell coffee mug). Dave Alvin makes American Music pure and simple and NOBODY gets it as right as he does as often as he does. I HIGHLY recommend every single one of his records, but especially this one, King of California and my favorite of his solo records - Romeo's Escape.