20 Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Simply Splendid, December 24, 2000
Though I saw the Blasters in concert about 17 years ago, I never paid any attention to the music of Dave Alvin until my longtime friend Felice Kay told me about his solo music and urged me to give him a listen. I must say I am impressed! I bought several Alvin CDs at my friend's behest and have become a convert. King of California is one of those she recommended and after playing it the first time, I played it the rest of the afternoon. Dave Alvin can play many styles. On this CD, he reminds me at times of Jerry Jeff Walker and at other times of early Hot Tuna. He displays a great sensitivity for the blues and for traditional country. One of my favorite cuts is his rendition of Memphis Slim's Mother Earth, which is both the best and most interesting version I've heard since Eric Burdon and War recorded it 30 years ago. Others I most enjoy are the title cut; Goodbye Again, a Southwestern-flavored vocal duet with Rosie Flores; the traditional acoustic blues of East Texas Blues; and the very country duet with Syd Straw on George Jones' What Am I Worth. I listen to a lot of great music of many different genres, but I am truly sorry I didn't know about Dave Alvin years ago. Not only is King of California spare and simple, it is simply splendid.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
To Die for Record, July 1, 1999
By A Customer
Dave Alvin has been out there working the bars and theaters for years, first with The Blasters, then X, then on his own. After rocking for years with the Blasters and X, his solo work took a different look at his songs finding that they took on another feel when stripped to their bare essentials. King of California is a modern folk record that gathers some of Alvin's best songs and puts them in an acoustic setting. The songs--and the story telling--take center stage here.Alvin may disappoint his rock fans in the same way that Springsteen did with Nebraska and Ghost of Tom Joad. Both are excellent storytellers who owe as much to Woody Guthrie as they do to Chuck Berry. Here, Alvin puts his Strat away in favor of an old Martin and focuses his attention on common people who are struggling to realize a small piece of the American dream. He looks at his subjects and relates their feelings and hopes. He doesn't turn them into heroes nor is he condescending or condemning. Listen to the way he portrays the woman in Border Radio and you know that he understands loneliness and loss. The prospector in the title cut is a metaphor for the lost American dream. This is songwriting at its best. The arrangements are spare without being barren. Producer and string wizard Greg Leitz shows a deft hand in selecting instrumentation that supports each song. And the recording quality is superb, with a nice acoustic space around the instruments. This was my favorite album of the 90's-until Alvin released Blackjack David in 1998. Get 'em both. You won't be disappointed.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Music That Grows On You, October 25, 2004
I saw Dave Alvin perform at the Strand in Redondo Beach, CA in 1991 with the Blasters. My wife and I were sitting in the front row. The Blasters were over one hour late. They came in and within 1 minute launched the room into 'Marie, Marie'. Phil Alvin's contorted face still a distinct memory. After this, I lost track of Dave Alvin for about 5 years. I guess I was looking in the 'B's' at Best Buy and Borders and finding nothing (this was in the pre-Amazon days). One day, while in the A's at Best Buy, I stumbled onto Dave Alvin again. I bought this CD. At first, I was hoping for the Blasters, so I didn't give the CD too many listens. Then one day, while I was moving, I started listening. This CD was really great, just a different style. Dave Alvin is an acquired taste, like moving from sweet wines to a rich cabernet. After appreciating a cabernet or merlot, it is hard to have a glass of that sweet stuff anymore.
It's very much like listening to Springsteen's Tom Joad or Nebraska after growing up on Born in the USA or Born To Run.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Great Music, July 28, 2001
The first time I heard any of Dave Alvins was when a friend of mine sent me some tapes from a farewell party from her favorite radio station (KSCA)LA,when it was changing formats from a very progressive station to a spanish language. One of the last songs was just introduced as track 13 (Border Radio) I fell in love with this song right away, I asked my friend if she knew if who was singing this song (she thought it was Gordon Lightfoot) I was lost I iddn't know who was the artist was none if my friends knew I didn't know what to do. I finally found out who it was ( I don't know now how I found out) and I am so glad I did. It is one of my all time favorite albums one that I can play over and over again. my favorites songs are Blue Wing, What Am I Worth, Bus Station, and Border Radio. I don't thin that there is a bad song on this cd. I have since bought all of Dave Alvins cds I will have to start checking into the music that he made with the Blasters, even though I think this music will have more of an edge to it
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
One of the best folk albums of the 1990s, March 19, 2003
King of California is Dave Alvin's career-defining moment. Some songs are slowed-down versions of his old Blasters material (Border Radio, Bus Station), others are from his days in X or early solo ablums. Somewhere along the line Dave learned how his songs should be sung. This is no knock to Phil Alvin, the lead singer for the Blasters. It's just the truth. This album's is Dave's Highway 61 Revisited, and one of the best folk albums of the 1990s. It's sonic poetry.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A real gem, August 17, 1999
By A Customer
I can't stop listening to this CD. Every cut is a story; every story is different. The tunes are hummable. The lyrics are quotable. And it comes from the heart. Why don't they play music like this on the radio instead of the pablum that passes as country music these days?
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
These songs are timeless., December 1, 2001
Dave Alvin could be this country's best songwriter. If you want proof, buy this CD. In a world where so much of our pop music seems passe as soon as it is released, this CD is full of songs that will always be relevant. The best example of classic songwriting is Blue Wing. A tune about a poor man with a dream that is never realized. The song is co-written by Tom Russell and is haunting and memorable. Fouth of July is another song that was recorded by X a number of years ago when Dave was playing guitar for that band. It's a song of love and the celebration of love that seems to come to life as an accoustic number. Finally the title track can be seen as a kind of anthem for Dave. He is a product of Southern California that often can sing about all of the west. While this song is set deep in history during gold rush days, it still speaks to me as something as relevant and fresh as something written about today. The sound on this CD is very accoustic and the musicianship is excellent. Dave is joined by talented musicians including James Intveld, Greg Liesz, Syd Straw and Rosie Flores. In addition to this CD, I would recommend Blackjack Dave and Dave's live album in order to get a comprehensive feel for a great musician and songwriter.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Alvin goes acoustic and delivers one of his best, May 1, 2000
Dave Alvin can seemingly do no wrong. The only one of his solo albums that didn't impress me much was the live one. ROMEO'S ESCAPE and BLUE BLVD. sound the most like the Blasters -- smart, tough roots rock. MUSEM OF HEART turns to blues and R&B, a unique and very moving album. Then came KING OF CALIFORNIA -- his masterpiece. It includes new versions of some of his best songs, done with acoustic backing, along with new ones and a few by other writers. It is a stunning breakthrough, to be continued with BLACKJACK DAVID, which is nearly as good. I love Dave's rendition of Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth," ("I don't care how big you are, I don't care how much you're worth -- when it all comes down, you've got to go back to Mother Earth"), and his version of Tom Russell's "Blue Wing," about a prisoner, brings out more feeling than Russell's own version. This album should be required listening, the perfect antidote to our wealth-and-fame obsessed times -- it is a manifesto of humanist decency in world run amok.
If you appreciate great lyrics, idiosyncratic vocal styles, and a social conscience -- the genre founded by Bob in the 60s -- check out my "Dylanites of Recent Times" list, and several more reviews. Some of the others included are Greg Brown, Stan Ridgway, Peter Case, Steve Earle, Bill Morrissey, Chris Smither, and Butch Hancock.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
As genuine as it gets., June 11, 2003
A beautiful piece of work from the Blasters' hellcat guitarist. Alvin keeps the progressions and melodies simple while finding one devastating lyric after another. The title track will haunt me for years. It may falter a bit toward the end, but "King of California" is an excellent introduction to this roots-music master.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
One of the best folk albums of the 1990s, March 19, 2003
King of California is Dave Alvin's career-defining moment. Some songs are slowed-down versions of his old Blasters material (Border Radio, Bus Station), others are from his days in X or early solo ablums. Somewhere along the line Dave learned how his songs should be sung. This is no knock to Phil Alvin, the lead singer for the Blasters. It's just the truth. This album's is Dave's Highway 61 Revisited, and one of the best folk albums of the 1990s. It's sonic poetry.
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