Customer Reviews

Street Songs of Love

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alejandro Escovedo's Street Songs of Love is a driving, surging tour-de-force of unrelenting rock and roll power. He and his band, the three piece Sensitive Boys, bring the house down with a unique mix of garage band, new wave, and roots rock blended together. Ian Hunter provides guest vocals on Down in the Bowery, and he sounds great, maybe the most vital 71-year-old on the planet. Bruce Springsteen shares vocals on the song Faith. But, the triumph is Escovedo's as he brings songs, many co-written with Chuck Prophet, of the highest quality; there's no filler, musically or lyrically. Most highly recommended.

From the opening notes straight through to the end this is a gem. Masterful songwriting delivered with an incredible range of emotion, musicianship and energy. It runs the gamut from heartbreaking to biting: Anchor, Fall Apart With You, Down On The Bowery, Silver Cloud, This Bed is Getting Crowded are brilliant songs on a classic album. Anyone who appreciates a great work of art should own this. Since it came out I've been listening non-stop along with Peter Wolf's Midnight Souvenir's another treasure.

Alejandro has been rocking around under the radar for too long. While this CD is a bit poppier it still is pure Al with clever lyrics and catchy tunes. While I mourn the absence of his sting inspired arrangements, the electrified strings of Al and David Pulkingham are all the strings you really need. For those of you not familiar with his entire catalog, you need to change that. A poet, a troubador in the real sense, a renaissace man in his own right and now a sensitive boy. We love you and we do know why!

How refreshing to hear music that is so honest, stripped down and full of energy. With 10 CDs since `92, Alajandro Escovedo has well-earned his reputation among music enthusiasts and fellow artists as an exceptional songwriter. Springsteen, The Ramones, Dennis Brennan, Buffalo Tom and Elvis Costello are known for their high-octane oomph, and it is exhilarating to hear Escovedo raise such comparable and enviable commotion on Street Songs of Love. Juxtaposed are beautiful, soaring melodies against the raw force of crunching guitars. The band is tight, the production is honest - these are great! songs that will fit snugly next to those of the artists above. Highly recommended!

GENRES: Rock, Mellow Rock.

BUY IF YOU LIKE: The artists listed above.

MUST HEAR TRACKS: "Undesired," "Down In The Bowery," "Street Songs," "After The Meteor Showers," "Fall Apart With You," "Shelling Rain."

I got turned onto his music his last album and heard a song or two of this album and decided to give it a shot. This was a great purchase. This album and his Real Animal albums are great. I will try some of his older stuff although I believe that he has somebody new producing these last two albums. Still worth a shot to me.

Alejandro Escovedo may be greatest American "rock star" that most folks have never heard of. Austin, Texas is filled with talented musicians...and all of them admire Alejandro Escovedo...at an Escovedo show in Austin, much of the crowd will be other muscians, coming to pay homage.

The backup musicians and singers on this album are the best around...musicians always fight for a chance to play with the best...and to be invited to play on an Escovedo album is a great honor.

His style may be surprising for a man who grew up in South Texas and is old enough to draw social security payments...Escovedo's music has a muscular, almost "punk" sound rooted in the 1960's and 1970's that has echoes of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and Tom Petty...but Escovedo adds his own distinct flavor to every song.

I'm often struck by the fact that most older song writers seem to write the same songs they wrote when they were kids...they never acknowledge their age. Escovedo is the exception: he sings to the woman he loves "all I want is to fall apart with you"...a love song for the AARP generation. Escovedo may be "falling apart" but his songwriting is better than ever.

Over the past week, I've listened to this album four or five times...it is an album that will go into my small list of albums that I will be listening to for years to come.

At the $5 sale price for the mp3 album, "Street Songs" is one of the greatest bargains in music today.

With the tempered wit of Lou Reed and southern drawl pop edge of Tom Petty, Alejandro Escovedo brings it big time. This album has a lot going for it. First and foremost it is truly an album not just some collection of songs slapped together. From the raucous first tune Anchor to the tender instrumental Fort Worth Blue at the end, this album has structure and a story to tell. One song leads to another the way it was meant to- the way it should be. If you are a vinyl lover this album will give you serious '70's flashbacks. Put it on, sit back and listen. There are so many good songs on this album it is almost incomparable in this day and age. Down in the Bowery which features Ian Hunter is a standout on a standout album!

Here you can see that Alejandro has it all !
This are pure rocksongs ! incredible sound !

Alejandro Escovedo's 10th studio album "Street Songs Of Love" continues his winning streak since the "Boxing Mirror" in 2006. Here is a 59 year-old singer songwriter that doesn't seem to be losing any steam since his near death experience with hepatitis C in the mid 2000's.
Highlights on this set are:
Anchor
Silvercloud
This Bed Is Getting Crowded
A great triple play to start of the CD.
The Funky title track.
The duet with Ian Hunter "Down in the Bowery"
The rocking of a "Tender Heart"
The melancholy "After The Meteor Showers"
"Tula" sounds like early Santana.
The mid-tempoed "Undesired".
"Fall Apart With You" - "She cries when she here's Johnny Cash".
"Faith" great song done with Bruce Springsteen on vocals with Alejandro. "Ya gotta have faith!"
"Fort Worth Blue" an instrumental for his late friend and writing partner in the early 90's Stephen Bruton.

P.S. Another great production by Tony Visconti and the great backing band "The Sensitive Boys": David Pulkingham guitar and Keys, Bobby Daniel Bass and Hector Munoz Drums. One of the top 5 CD's so far in 2010.

This is an interesting change of pace for Alejandro....it is good to see him out of his depression and changing his sound. I do miss his strings, but with him you never know he may have them backing him on this. Can't wait to see him perform some of these live.....he is such an incredible live performer.
I like this ALMOST as much as some of his other stuff Real Animal, With These Hands and Gravity are just awesome pieces of work, but I think this may be as good just in a different vein.
Great music from a great musician.