Customer Reviews

West of the West (Dig)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dave Alvin's sublime new CD is a cadre of songs written by Californians either born and/or who grew up in this land. The lyrics talk about what it means to live and love in the land of dreams and broken promises. It is also a look at the story of the frontier in this large western state. Dave Alvin has a voice that is deep and smooth and like a friend of his said "infiltrates your brain like a shot of Jack Daniels."

Dave Alvin says "We started with a list of 25 songs, from Steve Gillette to Captain Beefheart and everything in between. I was even thinking of doing 'Going Back to Cali' as a blues thing. In the end, though, it wasn't about choosing my favorite songs so much as choosing songs that I could sing well enough and arrange differently enough to make them interesting." He has picked these songs carefully and each of them fit his style and voice well. Of them all, and I like each and every one, my two favorite interpretations are "Here In California" and "Surfer Girl"

"California Bloodlines" is a sentimental rendition of John Stewart's fine work, which finds peace in knowing "There's California bloodlines in my heart / There's a California woman in my song ... And a California heartbeat in my soul."

"Redneck Friend" the Jackson Brown less well known song was just right for Dave Alvin's style.

"Kern River" is a song Merle Haggard wrote after losing his best friend, and it is a melancholy rendition.

"Blind Love" from Tom Waits is sung in a bluesy style with some doo wops thrown in to give it style.

"Here in California" one of my favorites is sung with Christy McWilson. He felt this song needed a woman's perspective.

"I'm Bewildered" is an old Richard Berry, the great guitarist's tune. Backed up by The Calvenes.

"Sonora's Death Row" written by Blackie Ferrell is a fable that examines the price of acting out of greed and anger and ends up a as gun fighter's tale.

"Down On the Riverbed" is an old Los Lobos song that is sung in Dave Alvin's old blues style.

"Between the Cracks" a song written by Dave Alvin and Tom Russell is a heartbreaking tale of young boy told by a loving woman, with a rollicking tune. This is the only Dave Alvin orignal song in this CD.

"Don't Look Now" a song sung by John Fogerty is an old Creedence Clearwater revival. Bluesy and fun to make it Dave's.

"Tramps and Hawkers" by Jim Ringer is a delicate country waltz, come dance with me, BK. Lyrics are wonderful.

"Loser" by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, is darker with more infused blues than Garcia's version. It couldn't sound less like a Deadhead song. Dave Alvin put in a psychedelic section that is a tribute to the San Francisco sound

"Surfer Girl" Brian Wilson's first song is done with doo-wops and again The Calvanes did background. This is my favorite of Dave Alvin's interpretations, and he sings this surfin'song with some tongue in cheek.

Dave Alvin gives voices of California to this CD. Voices from the California coastline and the surf music it inspired to the "brown earth of the state" to the frontier life and the lives won and lost. Dave Alvin had made his mark on this state, and the writers who loved their lives by writing and singing about the state they love. Play it often and pay attention to the subtle influence of this CD. "California Dreamin'?" Highly recommended. prisrob 6-04-06

Dave Alvin has put out a great CD full of mellow, beautifully arranged tracks. I particularly enjoyed "Here In California," the bluesy touch to "Don't Look Now," and especially the closer "Surfer Girl." This last song, performed so often by The Beach Boys, is so touchingly beautiful it's good enough to stand as a single!

Dave's voice is rich despite the fact that his vocal range hasn't always been consistently the largest. There's real passion in his voice and Dave can use his voice to highlight even the most subtle nuances of the words he sings. For example, listen to Dave sing a song here by Jackson Browne entitled "Redneck Friend." Dave uses every syllable to convey precisely what he wants to convey for this song. Indeed, in any song Dave chooses to perform, Dave imparts a sense of self-respect to even the most demoralized and exploited persons when he wants to. The musical arrangement is also very well done.

Although the mood on this album is somewhat relaxed, Dave's performance here displays a sense of confidence. He has grown as an artist and as a performer over time.

I recommend this album for Dave's fans (obviously), as well as fans of rock and pop music. As for those of us who want an introduction to Dave's talent, you can't go wrong by buying this CD.

My introduction to the music of Dave Alvin came several years ago when an old friend in Carlsbad turned me on to him. I already knew of him from the Blasters, but at the time I had no idea he was doing solo work. Since that time, I have heard Alvin grow musically with each successive album.

Albums consisting of covers don't always work out. West of the West does. After listening several times, it seems to me that Alvin has carefully chosen songs that would work for him and played them as though they were his own. Being originally from California, this album speaks to me. Though there were some songs I might have deleted in favor of others, overall Alvin's choices are excellent and his interpretations delightful.

My favorites are a smooth, swinging take on Jackson Browne's Redneck Friend, the bittersweet Here In California, the top-flight music AND storytelling of Sonora's Death Row, a gutsy rendition of Los Lobos' Down On the Riverbed, another swinger with John Fogerty's Don't Look Now, Jerry Garcia's gambler's tale Loser, and the incredible 50s-style take on the Beach Boys classic Surfer Girl.

Reading other reviews, I notice some carping about Dave Alvin's vocal range. Long-time Alvin fans have known about that aspect forever and yet there is a reason his base remains as his legion of fans grows. Its his interpretive ability that keeps us on board and we can hear that his singing has vastly improved since his first solo outings. The industry reviewer says it best and I quote: "Whatever Alvin may lack in vocal range, there's no doubting his interpretive range".

I don't like every song on this CD, but there are none that I hate. If you like Dave Alvin on any level, or are a fan of the singer/songwriter style, do your ears a favor and add West of the West to your CD collection. You'll be glad you did.

I just opened this and put it on my computer to play. I have only listened to the first 5 cuts, but they are all strong. The production is beautiful. I have bought cds ( and you have too ) with only one or two good songs on it, this is different. Do yourself a favor, buy this and Ashgrove and take a summer drive with Dave Alvin. You will not be disappointed.

Covers albums, from Bowie's "Pin Ups" on, serve two functions--the first is to explore the music the artist listened to growing up, and the second is to provide a bridge for that person's fans to those other singers and songwriters. Sometimes this works well, other times it falls flat. Dave Alvin's "West of the West--Songs from California Songwriters" does it well.

To me a good cover brings the artist's sensibility to the song in question without mocking or ruining the integrity of the original. Think of Manfred Mann's "Blinded by the Light" or Warren Zevon's cover of "Back in the High Life Again." Both brought something new to the song while giving it the respect it deserved. (It's for this reason that Limp Bizkit's cover of "Faith" can burn in Hades--no respect).

On "West of the West," Dave Alvin covers California songwriters ranging from Tom Waits to John Stewart to John Fogerty to Los Lobos and Brian Wilson. Each song sounds like nothing so much as a Dave Alvin song. He chose them carefully, no doubt. The good thing about this album is that he chooses songs that aren't necessarily familiar to the listener, so this may well be the first time hearing the talents of a particular songwriter. The best known songs are probably Tom Waits' "Blind Love," recast here as a blues shuffle, and the Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl," which has its sunny harmonies replaced by doo-wop to create a tender, nostalgic evocation of a girl. Fans of any of the songwriters represented will find something to like here. All along the way, the instrumentation,provided by a band anchored by pedal steel maestro Greg Leisz (who also produced), serves each song ideally. From folk to blues to country flourishes, this band is tight throughout, couching Alvin's slightly rough but not unpleasant vocals in an ideal bed for these tunes.

That's what it does well.

What it does great is to highlight the songcraft on display to the point where I now want to seek out some of the music I'm less familiar with. Much as I came to Dave Alvin via his association with X and their version of his song "4th of July," "West of the West" makes me want to seek out Los Lobos (who I only heard on the radio or MTV in their heyday), Kate Wolf (heard of, but never heard), and Merle Haggard (whose "Kern River" is one of many highlights of this set).

"West of the West" serves as not two, but three things--an introduction to Dave Alvin's voice and sound, a showcase for all these great California songwriters, and as a gateway to further exploration of those songwriters. Definitely a bridge to somewhere. Highly recommended.

Wow, what can I say? I liked the premise of this album and have been a Blasters fan since the early eighties, thus I took a chance and bought the CD. I received it and put on the headphones with a good glass of wine and was just blown away. After I listened to it I kept going back to the song, "Here in California" and I told my wife it was one of the best songs I had ever heard (the wine talking). But...it really hit a note with me. A great concept from a great singer/songwriter. You will love it. Rock on Dave.

I love this guys voice. First found him through a Bruce Springsteen tribute album and thought I would try some of his stuff. Really good musically.

Rather than spout and blather, I'll just say that Dave Alvin is an unbelievably terrific artist who truly, truly knows and practices great songwriting. He is a fantastic guitarist, and I love the hell out of this album. "I Am Bewildered" is raucous, sexy, perfect, and "Here In California" is touching an beautiful. "Surfer Girl" is over the top.

The transformation of Alvin from croaker to crooner is complete with this disc, an enticing collection of California covers. Alvin, who played guitar and let brother Phil sing in the Blasters and then John Doe and Exene sing in X, has come into his own as an expressive singer, albeit one with limited range.

His choices are inspired, as are the arrangements. He turns Jackson Browne's "Redneck Friend" into a slinky lounge shuffle. He resurrects John Stewart's "California Bloodlines" and makes Tom Waits's "Blind Love," a bluesy affirmation. Kate Wolf's "Here in California" is a beautiful centerpiece while John Fogerty's "Don't Look Now" becomes a front porch stomper. The only missed note is Brian Wilson's "Surfer Girl," the closer.

This is a gorgeous album. Through the songs of Californians Alvin evokes the "California Bloodlines" that run deep through us natives, but anyone listening can get a sense of what really makes California unique & one of the places in the world where a dream can become reality almost overnight. Listen to "Surfer Girl" & dig the doo-wop treatment he gives Brian Wilson's sublime harmonies.