Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal

“If Alejandro Escovedo’s 2006 album “The Boxing Mirror” was a reflection on mortality and the hepatitis C that nearly killed him, “Real Animal” buttresses the case for artistic immortality. The songs are richly textured, heartfelt autobiographical snapshots. “Nun’s Song” concisely evokes the ethos of the Nuns, the San Francisco punk band in which Escovedo played: “We don’t want your approval . . . We know we’ll never be great,” he sings of a band that hardly knew the chords to “Louie Louie.” On “Chelsea Hotel ‘78,” Escovedo rips away the sentimentality that often accompanies tributes to New York’s former bohemian headquarters. The raucous “Chip n’ Tony” pays tribute to the band Rank & File, with whom Escovedo played a sublime form of early-’80s country punk. “Sister Lost Soul” swells with sweet emotion, instilling visions of Tina Turner in her ’80s prime. Sweeping violins and take-no-prisoners guitars co-exist in producer Tony Visconti’s gorgeous glam frame for Escovedo’s visionary sound. —Wayne Robins”