Lucinda Williams

POR VIDA: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo

Release date: July 27, 2004

Alejandro Escovedo is one of the most critically acclaimed artists in contemporary music, hailed by Rolling Stone critic David Fricke for creating "his own genre" and named Artist of the Decade for the 1990s by No Depression magazine. Widely admired for the stylistic breadth and innovation of his compositions and his facility for translating his personal experiences and observations into universal truths, he fell ill from the effects of Hepatitis C in April 2003. (Update: He's since recovered much of his strength and released a new album in 2006.)

The music community responded to his health crisis and its financial repercussions with a stunning outpouring of generosity and concern that culminates in Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo. On the two-disc set, 30+ acts from across the musical spectrum--including Escovedo's friends, family, peers, influences and admirers--offer their inspired interpretations of his material, packaged with liner notes by famed critic Dave Marsh. A portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit the Alejandro Escovedo Medical & Living Expense Fund as well as to spearhead an ongoing assistance effort for musicians afflicted with Hepatitis C.

The album will also a feature a previously unreleased performance by Alejandro Escovedo.

Tracklisting:

Disc One:
1. Lucinda Williams "Pyramid of Tears"
2. Lenny Kaye "Sacramento & Polk"
3. Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly "Paradise"
4. Jon Langford & Sally Timms "Broken Bottle"
5. Calexico "Wave"
6. Jennifer Warnes "Pissed Off 2am"
7. John Cale "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
8. Los Lonely Boys "Castanets"
9. Cowboy Junkies "Don't Need You"
10. Charlie Sexton "Dear Head On the Wall"
11. Jon Dee Graham "Helpless"
12. Howe Gelb "She Towers Above"
13. Ian McLagan & The Bump Band "Wedding Day"
14. Tres Chicas "Rhapsody"
15. Peter Case "The End"
16. Bob Neuwirth "Rosalie"
17. The Section Quartet "Crooked Frame"

Disc Two:
1. Ian Hunter "One More Time"
2. Jayhawks "Last to Know"
3. Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra "Velvet Guitar"
4. Pete Escovedo & Sheila E. "The Ballad of the Sun and Moon"
5. The Chris Stamey Experience featuring Roman Candle "One True Love"
6. Son Volt "Sometimes"
7. Rosie Flores "Inside This Dance"
8. Charlie Musselwhite "Everybody Loves Me"
9. M. Ward with Vic Chesnutt & Howe Gelb "Way It Goes"
10. Javier Escovedo "The Rain Won't Help You When It's Over"
11. Caitlin Cary "By Eleven"
12. The Minus 5 "I Was Drunk"
13. The Dragons "Gravity"
14. Ruben Ramos "Thirteen Years"
15. Alejandro Escovedo "Break This Time"