With „With these hands“ the title track of his 96 album everything started: „From that song, I had this idea to do a song cycle based on my father's life and his immigration from Mexico into Texas and then to California and back to Texas," tells the artist who‘s grown up together with seven brothers and sisters, "connecting it then to all the musicians that came from my family and my father's contribution to American culture -- how he contributed in that respect." Especially his brother Pete, who played percussion for Carlos Santana supported Alejandro’s project to digest their fathers life in a play. Assisted by luminarys like Rosie Flores or Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Alejandro also composed the necessary soundtrack to the play, that had premiere in 2000. And this soundtrack is now available. Many of the songs are known in other versions. The already mentioned „With these hands“, „The ballad of the sun and moon“ from the „Thirteen years“ album and „Wave“ and „Rosalie“ from the last Escovedo masterpiece „A man under the influence“.But the interpretations on this record are much more intimate and private because of the nearness to his mexican roots. And of course the music is working very good even without the accompanying play. Who is interested in the fascinating world of the Tex-Mex culture can’t neither pass Alejandro Escovedo, nor this album.
by Smidi