By Paul T. Mueller
Ray Redding/TexasRedd
Alejandro Escovedo turned 68 on January 10, but at an age when many people have retired or at least are planning to, the singer-songwriter-force-of-nature shows little sign of slowing down. He played the second night of his current U.S. tour in support of his latest album, The Crossing, at Houston’s Heights Theater on January 6. The near-capacity crowd was rewarded with a hard-rocking 90-minute set that included much of the new album, along with some old favorites. After decades of performing, Escovedo still backs his literate, powerful lyrics with a strong voice, formidable guitar skills and an intense but charming stage presence.
Escovedo prefaced his set by explaining that The Crossing is the story of two teenage boys, one Italian, one Mexican, who meet while working at a restaurant in Galveston, Texas. Fueled by a shared vision of 1970s America, at once gritty and romantic, they set out in search of the America of their dreams, only to find that the reality is quite different. Escovedo and his excellent band, Italy’s Don Antonio, described the journey in songs such as the hard-rocking “Footsteps in the Shadows,” with its lyrics of fear and paranoia; the anthemic declaration “Outlaw for You”; the gentle love song “Waiting for Me,” and “The Crossing,” the show’s last song (and also the last song on The Crossing), in which one of the boys, alone in the desert after his friend’s death, tries to reach a reckoning of the journey’s costs and rewards.
More familiar Escovedo fare interspersed with the newer material included longtime favorite “Castanets,” which drew the first of several standing ovations; a somber take on “Sensitive Boys,” featuring an excellent tenor sax solo by Francesco Valtieri (who also played some fine baritone sax on several songs), and an extended rendition of “Always a Friend,” highlighted by the keyboard work of Nicola Peruch and tenor sax by Gianni Perinelli. Credit also goes to the fine rhythm section of bassist Denis Valentini and drummer Matteo Monti.
Escovedo, ever the lover of the sounds of the ‘70s, turned “Friend” into a medley of Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” and Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” to close the main set. A 15-minute encore included “Another Girl, Another Planet” (The Only Ones), “Search and Destroy” (Iggy and the Stooges) and the aforementioned “The Crossing.”
Antonio Gramentieri , who goes by Don Antonio and gave that name to his band, shared vocals and (mostly) electric guitar duties with Escovedo throughout. The charismatic frontman also led his band through a 45-minute opening set featuring elements of blues, jazz and pop, especially the ‘50s style that preceded rock ‘n’ roll. Much of it sounded like it could have been the soundtrack to the kind of Italian movie you’d really like to see.