A Man Under the Influence
Great CD by Alejandro Escovedo covering the roots of rock and roll. Especially fine are the singles "rosalie" and the rocking "velvet guitar".

this guy is great
he and his band are worth the money at any price...i was a fan the first time i heard a song of his (5 hearts breaking) i highly recomend any recording by this man.......:)

Alejandro has ME under the influence!
One of the finest song writers going on anywhere. He writes from his heart about personal things that we can all relate to. I love this guy. I have for years. Since Rank and File on down the line. His songs breaks and mends hearts. Alejandro, i will quit my day job and be your roadie!

Unique and Wonderful
Alejandro Escovedo is a Mexican-American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter and his music is incredibly difficult to categorize. At times he ranges across country and rock landscapes performing ballads, love songs, haunting melodic studies, and scorching rock and roll. There are moments when his songs are reminiscent of the Eagles in the way they are arranged and in the lyrical structures, yet his is a solo voice that is compelling without the support of harmony. I bought the CD on the strength of songs like "Velvet Guitar" and "Castanets" which were getting a lot of radio airplay in Austin. Over time, I have come to love the rest of this album even more than those two tracks. Alejandro is a fine singer and a very good guitarist, but the strength of this album is his songwriting and arranging. This is one of those recordings that true music fans will appreciate more after a dozen or so playings than they do at first. The music is complex and multi-layered, despite the simplicity of the single voice and guitar that are featured on most tracks.

Estas canciones son para ti...
"These songs are for you..." Alejandro Escovedo closes out his dedication to his sister Alice, in 'A Man Under the Influence', and truth be told, these songs feel as if they are written for and sung to each and everyone of us individually.

Alejandro Escovedo is one songwriter and musician that I was fortunate to run into not too long ago, one who magically manages to seamlessly blend influences from folk, rock & roll, punk, country and texmex music. After learning about him, this album, with all its "dia de los muertos" motif instantly captured my attention: gladly I later found out most of his fans consider it to be his best production to date. To me the 11-song was like a book consisting of two intertwined chapters, somewhat (and two very solid chapters, for the matter). From the opening chord of "Wave", into the contagious "Rosalie", the first chapter is mostly straight-up rock 'n roll with songs that equally borrow from The Beatles in their early years or Los Lobos, while still retaining a uniqueness that makes them refreshing, making you want to listen to them over and over again.

The other chapter of the album shows a far more personal side of Escovedo, with "Across The River", "Velvet Guitar" (a very Tom Petty-like tune), the intimate "Don't Need You" and the closing "About This Love" making you wonder: what on earth are we listening to these days, when a guy like Alejandro Escovedo is far from being well known? (to the point on depending on his friend's and fan's help to get back on his feet after collapsing in April 2003 -you can also help him by going to http://www.alejandrofund.com/)