Old cowpunks don't die, they just get softer. At least that seems to be the case with Alejandro Escovedo. He's been around for ages now, first appearing with mid-70s Bay Area punks the Nuns. In 1981, he made the move to Austin, Texas with his band Rank and File, whose Sundown album was vastly ahead of the rockabilly-punk curve. And he's been a stalwart on the scene ever since, playing with True Believers and Buick MacKane, in addition to recording his own solo work.
His fifth solo effort finds him in territory several miles removed from his rough and tumble beginnings, and only once reaching for straight-up rock n' roll. (The rock number, a rollicking, curiously Georgia Satellites-ish "Castanets" guests Superchunk's John Wurster and Mac MacCaughan, though you'd never know it without reading the credits.) Instead, he spends time exploring the peaks and valleys of melody and rich arrangements, creating the most subtle, textured album of his career.
Escovedo taps some high-powered guests to achieve this more ambitious sound, including ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams on backing vocals, Buick MacKane's Joe Eddy Hines and ex-Let's Active frontman Mitch Easter on guitar, session drummer Hector Muñoz, the Squirrel Nut Zippers' Chris Phillips on percussion, and some guy named Cornbread on bass. But without a doubt, the two guest musicians who lend the most to A Man Under the Influence are Brian Standefer and Eric Heywood. Standefer's cello adds immense depth and color to all but one song here, serving as an effective countermelodic foil for Escovedo's steady tenor. For his part, Heywood (who has played with Richard Buckner, Freakwater, the Jayhawks, and Son Volt, to name just a few) provides the gorgeous steel guitar lines that brighten the corners of the swooning ballads that fill the bulk of the record.
The record opens with two songs Escovedo penned for the travelling play "By the Hand of the Father." "Wave" begins with tense strumming over droning cello and double bass. Escovedo's voice hovers over the proceedings, declaiming, "Wave goodbye, everybody waves goodbye," before the whole band slips into an easy groove and all tension is released. "Rosalie" follows, reminiscent of Key Lime Pie-era Camper Van Beethoven, a frequent comparison point for the mid-tempo numbers, as Escovedo and David Lowery have similar melodic styles.
The album's two high points come during two of those mid-tempo numbers, "Rhapsody" and "Velvet Guitar," both of which offer a look at Escovedo's passion for music. Our social conditioning and all the Mexican Day of the Dead imagery in the artwork automatically suggest alcohol to us when we hear the album title, but it's these two songs that make it clear that Escovedo is primarily under the influence of his love for music. "Rhapsody" finds him musing, "If the melody escapes me/ I will stumble upon it soon/ If it's not a rhapsody/ Then it'll just have to do." "Velvet Guitar" is just flat-out joyful, and features five guys playing electric guitar. Five guys! That's a lot of guitar. Thankfully, Chris Stamey's clear production keeps them all in their respective places, avoiding a sloppy mess.
Of the slowest tracks here, "Wedding Day" is the best, with vocalist Lynn Blakey harmonizing with Escovedo over Standefer's sonorous cello and subtle harmonium. It's pretty without totally sacrificing its edge, as is "Follow You Down," a melancholy acoustic ballad swimming in David Perales' violin overdubs.
On the whole, A Man Under the Influence doesn't offer much to criticize; it's well-played, well-written, solid music from a certified veteran. Very occasionally, the band gets to a point where too many people are playing, and none are doing anything that spectacular. But this is a weak complaint, and one that hardly bares mentioning. In truth, A Man Under the Influence feels like the culmination of a great career. And Escovedo is one old cowpunk we should hope doesn't go out to pasture any time soon.
