Alejandro Escovedo: More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996

Though Alejandro Escovedo is widely respected and best known for his elegiac solo releases, his past is peppered with stints in almost every type of band: He has played punk with The Nuns, roots-rock with The True Believers, cowpunk with Rank And File, and garage-rock with Buick MacKane. While each of those bands is legendary in certain circles, Escovedo's performances with his "orchestra," a rotating cast of talented sidemen, most vividly display the man's remarkable aptitude for heartfelt, honest songwriting and chamber-rock arrangements. For a live album, More Miles Than Money is surprisingly low-key, showcasing Escovedo's delicate ballads as opposed to his looser, more raucous rock 'n' roll songs. Of course, the record is no substitute for Escovedo's amazing performances, but More Miles Than Money, culled from five different shows, actually comes close, offering spot-on renditions of songs from all three of his albums, as well as a few choice covers from the Stones, Stooges, and Lou Reed that reveal Escovedo's penchant for playful eclecticism. How many bands would dare perform The Stooges' slop-rock masterpiece "I Wanna Be Your Dog" as a string-annexed chamber-rock sextet This is beautiful, wonderful stuff.