Alejandro Escovedo rocks hard on CD

Many rockers glorify one aspect of their personalities, be it sexuality, anger, cockiness, or mysteriousness. But Alejandro Escovedo has spent the last two decades stripping away artifice in order to expose raw emotions and personal truths.

The veteran singer-songwriter has never rocked rawer or truer than on "Real Animal," which boils down his influences -- Lou Reed, John Cale, Iggy Pop, Mott the Hoople -- into a visceral statement about where he came from and who he became.

Escovedo still utilizes strings behind power chords as well as any rocker. But "Real Animal" emphasizes glam-rock swagger more than his recent works. Perhaps it's because these songs mine his youthful beginnings: "Nuns Song" is about his first punk band in San Francisco, and "Chelsea Hotel '78" is about the infamous Manhattan flophouse where Escovedo resided when Sid Vicious was arrested there for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

Ecovedo's roots in Los Angeles and Texas come through too, especially in "Hollywood Hills" and "Chip n' Tony," the latter about his partners in the band Rank and File. But the songs skip decades too: "Golden Bear" deals with his recent health battle with hepatitis C.

But a listener needn't know Escovedo's story to enjoy his message. These tunes are about passion and true believers, and it treats those who didn't survive as honorably as those who have.

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