The Boxing MirrorThe release of a new album in 2006 is good news from Alejandro Escovedo in more ways than one. First, of course, is that The Boxing Mirror is a great new album from one of Austin's finest songwriter/musicians. But it is also a signal that the illness that almost felled Escovedo has been overcome and he is feeling good enough to work again. These new songs grew out of the harrowing landscape of illness. They were written with his wife, poet Kim Christoff, as well as Chris Stamey and guitarist Jon Dee Graham. The album was produced by John Cale. It is a must-have work from the master.

Por VidaThe 2004 release, Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo, is a 2 disc collection of songs written by Escovedo but performed by other singers. The album was put together by Escovedo's friends as a fund raising effort when Escovedo was struck with Hepatitis C. A few of the singers on Por Vida include Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Reckless Kelly, Jennifer Warnes, Los Lonely Boys, Charlie Sexton, and Rosie Flores.

Alejandro Escovedo album coverReleased in 2001, A Man Under the Influence, is Alejando Escovedo's latest hit album. This is his sixth album, and it realizes the promise of his remarkable gifts as singer, songwriter, and arranger.

In bands such as influential first-wave punk outfits like The Nuns, the cowpunk (country and punk) Rank and File, a roots rock collaboration with his younger brother in The True Believers, and the legendary Austin rock band Buick MacKane, Alejandor Escovedo has played various styles. He comes from a family deeply involved in Latino music. His dad was a mariachi. His niece is Sheila E.

Alejandro Escovedo album coverThese days he's playing with the Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra. Escovedo's 1999 release, Bourbonitis Blues, has received good reviews. The Austin American Statesman said, "Escovedo never sounded more uninhibited." The album is a collection of four originals and five covers. According to the Washington Post, "Despite the material's second-hand nature, Escovedo and his band (rock quartet, cello and violin) put their own stamp on everything. And one of the new songs, 'I Was Drunk,' is as good as anything Escovedo's done."

Alejandro EscovedoThe stunning With these Hands, penned after a lengthy period of personal crisis earned high marks as well, and was hailed as a return to his rock-n-roll instincts.

He used a folk-rock rhythm section and a string quartet to spectacular effect on 1992's Gravity and 1993's Thirteen Years. In Gravity Escovedo settled on a five-piece format, using guitar, drums, keyboards and cello. He said, "We like to create this real thick atmosphere, to let the words stand out and make it sort of meditative and dramatic. And we lost that as the band grew, because it became more like a show band with the horns and percussion solos. Then one night we played a gig with just the five of us and we got back to that real thick atmosphere, with the cello more or less as lead instrument." That sound became Gravity. The album helped Alejandro earn Musician Of The Year honors at the 1993 Austin Music Awards.

With the Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra, ranging in size from 3 to 13 members, he has been an annual highlight at the South by Southwest Music Conference. There, the depth of his songwriting and revelatory interpretations convince listeners that he deserves to reach even greater heights.