Album Review: The Boxing Mirror by Alejandro Escovedo

All he needs is a hit and Alejandro Escovedo would be the perfect subject for a musical biopic that would match Ray or Walk the Line for drama and redemption, while offering no mean soundtrack either. Recently recovered from hepatitis C, this 55-year-old veteran of cult-rockers the Nuns, Rank & File and True Believers has fulfilled a teenage dream by having Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale produce his comeback album. The Welshman's enthusiastic eclecticism reinforces the Texan's; they have in common a stoic mournfulness.

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The tempo picks up on "Dear Head on the Wall," written with poet and Bulgarian refugee cum Texas resident Kim Christoff -- who also co-wrote the title cut and "Notes on Air" with Standefer and others (the only track Escovedo didn't write or co-write). The cello is the driving instrument on "Dear Head on the Wall," and Voelz's violin fills the space between sung lines as the drums pump the entire thing into a gorgeous if deeply melancholy orchestral pop tune. The aforementioned darkly surreal "Notes on Air" is introduced by electric guitar, and it guides a midtempo country-rock tune whose dynamics are the most shattering on the entire album.

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