Music Reviews
Oct-Nov 2004
Music of the West
Sing and Swing
By Hugh McLennan
Escovedo 101, Songs of Alejandro Escovedo
Various Artists, Magnetic West Productions
 With widely respected and loved American singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo suffering from serious health problems, his friends and peers on both sides of the border have rallied to raise money to help both him and his family.
The Canadian faction of pickers and singers who joined forces in support of the musician may not be as star-studded as the line-up on the American Escovedo tribute disc that includes Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, but it's pretty hard not to recognize the inspiration and spirit that takes hold of the 18 tunes found on this offering.
Rockabilly, Jug Band - brooding folk and moody country interpretations of material written by the long-time solo artist who also worked with Rank and File and The True Believers - are for the most part sonically interesting and lyrically arresting.
The album features what must be one of Ray Condo's final recordings, as the forever cool swing/rockabilly bandleader who passed away a few months ago sends up a musical flare in the form of Everybody Loves Me to kick off the disc.
It's great to see the name Herald Nix back on an album jacket as the reclusive artist from the interior of British Columbia vocally snakes his way through Nickel and a Spoon while the gratting fuzztone of his guitar magnifies the desperation of Escovedo's lyrics.
The Goods, The Baz and Stumpy Joe, which consists of two Sadies, Dallas and Travis Good and Blue Rodeo's Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem, step up with an effective offering of melancholy-filled twang on Crooked Frame while the Bughouse Five pinpoint the emotion found in Escovedo's Rhapsody.
Other notable performances come from Blue Rodeo's Bob Egan on Wave, Linda McRae's angst-filled performance of One More Time and Graham Brown's heartfelt interpretation of Rosalie.
Hats off to all involved and this set should, if nothing else, introduce Escovedo's impressive songbook to a large audience.
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