Various Artists
Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo
Or Music (New York)
By Zach Peterson
 Tribute
albums tend to come in two varieties: those that offer listeners
a showcase of fine songwriting by relatively obscure artists
through covers by better known fellow musicians, and those that
profit off the dead and/or no-longer-together famous artists'
catalogs. Por Vida falls somewhere in between. As Alejandro
Escovedo battles Hepatitis C, this record could be seen as an
opportunistic attempt to rally his many musician friends in a
preemptive dedication to a fine body of work. On the other hand,
this record would be fitting regardless of Escovedo's health.
For 30-plus years, the Texas troubadour has written a wealth
of quality songs that many have still not heard.
Here is a double disc dedicated to 31 covers and one new track
by Escovedo himself. The first disc features strong versions
of "Pyramid of Time" (Lucinda Williams), "Broken
Bottle" (Jon Langford and Sally Timms), "Wave"
(Calexico) and "She Towers Above" (Howie Gelb)-to name
a few examples. Disc two showcases Peter Buck's guitar work on
The Minus 5's rendering of "I Was Drunk" and a richly
orchestrated version of "Last to Know" by The Jayhawks.
There are no duds here-a range of artists, mostly from Texas
but not exclusively so, pay homage to choice cuts from Escovedo's
first record, Gravity, through his latest, By the Hand
of the Father.
Instrumentation, tempo and style are varied throughout. Escovedo's
music has continually ranged from Tex-Mex to straight-ahead rock
and roll and this sonic diversity is present throughout Por
Vida. Rosie Flores offers a gentle borderline version of
"Inside This Dance," while Charlie Musselwhite cranks
out a slow-blues groove fueled with his harp on "Everybody
Loves Me." Los Lonely Boys round some of the rough edges
of "Castanets" in a manner that makes one wonder why
the hell Escovedo doesn't have a few Top Forty hits.
"Break This Time" is the new offering from Alejandro
himself. The tune showcases his rocking side with Tom Heyman's
guitar ringing throughout and vocal harmonies by Thad Cockrell.
Escovedo sings, "Mothers and fathers/don't have all the
answers" over an insistent backbeat crying "I just
won't break this time." Let's hope this is the mantra for
this devoted and talented artist's own personal battle with disease.
It would be a damn shame if this is the last we hear from a great
songwriter who deserves a larger audience. Por Vida es
para toda. I recommend the record to newcomers and longtime devotees
alike.
www.alejandroescovedo.com
www.alejandrofund.com
www.ormusic.com
Contact Zach Peterson at zapper-at-rockzilla.net
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