Austin's own Alejandro Escovedo, the punk-turned-roots rocker, has released a new album, "Echo Dancing," shaking up his extensive music catalog with a radical reimagining of his past works. According to Express News, this collection of 14 tracks isn't just another Americana record; it's a transformation involving distorted vocals, drum loops, and a dark, synthesized atmosphere.
Breaking away from his previous work, the album kicks off with "an harrowing four-song barrage of in-your-face rock and roll," showcasing Escovedo's punk ethos with tracks like "John Conquest," "Sacramento & Polk," "Bury Me," and "Everybody Loves Me." The legendary musician, now 73, has drawn comparisons to a collaboration between Dr. Dre and Buffalo Springfield, thus setting a clear departure from the expected. "They're very different from the rest of the record… it was important for them to come at the beginning because they really set the tone," Escovedo told Express News.
Recorded in Modigliana, Italy, "Echo Dancing" brings a new life to songs like the Bowie-esque "Wave" and "Sensitive Boys" where, according to Escovedo, the lyrics and stories take center stage. Not one to dwell on retirement, Escovedo finds this as a period of renaissance, claiming, "I’m having more fun now than in any of my experiences," as he told Express News.
Supporters and musicians alike acclaim Escovedo's latest endeavor. Rosie Flores, Austin musician and NEA Heritage Fellowship recipient, commented on the reinvigorated spirit Escovedo brings to the table: "Your brain becomes on fire and I see that happening with him," Flores mentioned to Express News. San Antonio author John Phillip Santos, who's collaborating with Escovedo on his memoir, sees "Echo Dancing" as a poetic and cinematic redefinition of the artist's career.
Escovedo's disdain for the term Americana in relation to his work was underscored in an NPR session, where the artist discussed the fresh take brought to classics like "Sacramento & Polk" and "Bury Me." This session, courtesy of KUTX in Austin, captures the artist's knack for continual evolution, a trait that, much like punk, refuses to fade quietly into the background, as noted in an NPR article. Escovedo's recent work visibly thrums with the energy of a record that has pulled its sounds not only from deep in his own history but from deep time itself, echoing through the ages as a newly minted artifact of a storied career.
