What a great way to close out an already stellar month for new releases. Alejandro Escovedo, who seems to be peaking in his 50s, has managed to top his 2006 release The Boxing Mirror, which is saying something.
It will only take you the first three tracks to love this record. It starts with "Always A Friend", a Springsteen-esque country rocker that deserves to be a crossover hit. After that, it gets bizarre - "Chelsea Hotel '78" finds him switching to a half-shouted punk yell to tell the story of, suitably, Sid Vicious. He shouts the call-and-response chorus of "it makes no sense (it make perfect sense!)". Trust me, you'll be singing along on the first listen. "Sister Lost Soul" is the perfect contrast to follow it: this country-weeper moves along with violins and one of the year's best vocal performances.
The rest of the album doesn't let down. "Smoke" and "Real as a Animal" combine punk with his classic country-rock sound. The ballads are well paced and well sequenced: "Golden Bear" is creepy and building with hypnotic background vocals and "Swallows of San Juan" is a country waltz where his vocals have a chance to shine again.
I was expecting a lot from Real Animal, but this is more than I expected. If you have any interest in pop or alternative country, you need this record - the songwriting and arrangements outshine the already thick competition for best country record of the year.
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