Alejandro Escoveda

“What does it take to make this man a star?” ponders Rolling Stone critical sage David Fricke of Alejandro Escovedo. The notion both humbles Escovedo and makes him chuckle. “Hey, I’d be happy to just make a good living, and be able to make records and go out and tour in a comfortable way, and know that I can support my family and be sure that they’ll be safe and provided for,” he says. But Fricke’s point is still a salient one indeed. Stardom isn’t Escovedo’s goal. At this point in his creative and personal life, it’s not even a factor in his music making equation. But throughout his lauded 14-year solo career, Escovedo’s artistic aspirations have always aimed as high as the stars. And all along, his work has inspired the sort of rapturous critical praise that is unequalled for a contemporary artist who hasn’t (yet) achieved widespread cultural impact and fame. He has consistently earned a virtual music press thesaurus of acclamation and enjoys an ever-expanding audience as devoted as any in rock’n’roll, thanks to the stunning breadth of his musical vision, depth of his emotional expression, and the sheer quality and musicality of his work.

Or in short, the artistry of Alejandro Escovedo is as good as contemporary music gets. And his seventh album, The Boxing Mirror, produced by musical master and visionary John Cale, finds Escovedo at his finest yet, exceeding his already remarkable musical achievements.

His debut release on Back Porch/Narada Records comes after three trying yet also rewarding years during which Escovedo stared his own death in the face and then struggled and worked to regain his health and continue the creativity that has sustained his soul throughout his adult life. From the chilling opener “Arizona” to the final classicist grace note of “The Boxing Mirror,” it’s an album that implicitly traces Escovedo’s journey from the brink of death to wellness and an enhanced creativity and wisdom. The varied stylistic hallmarks of his previous albums are found in full force alongside new modes, moods and musical variations. With Cale’s able assistance, Escovedo truly raises rock’n’roll to high art and deepens and expands his gift for personal expression with universal impact and appeal. Arriving just a few short years after a time when it was feared that he might never record and perform again, the album is something of a miracle and well as a prime contender for the title of masterpiece

Alejandro Escovedo - The Boxing Mirror

Alejandro Agonistes may yet have a happy ending, but you wouldn't guess it from this torrent of surrealism and gothic textures. Escovedo's first album since nearly succumbing to hepatitis C and crushing debt in 2003 is the darkest, most mysterious album of his career--a harrowing, poetic soundscape partly the result of producer John Cale's industrial-noir sensibilities, but also Escovedo's own avant-garde punk roots.