Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven (Live Recording/+DVD) (Music CD)

Synopsis

Dave Alvin summed up his work as well as anyone could when he quipped, "There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both." Alvin shows off his skill on both sides of the volume divide on 2011's Eleven Eleven, where he reaffirms his status as one of the best and most distinctive American songwriters alive. There are few artists who can match Alvin's gift for creating vivid characters and bringing their lives to life through music, and Eleven Eleven finds him near the top of his game as a tunesmith, while also showing off his estimable skills as a guitarist. Whether he's digging into the dirty details of Johnny Ace's death in 1954, embodying a man who may kill a powerful politician for money, focusing his powers of seduction on one woman in a dirty nightgown, or swapping stories of an old friend's adventures on both sides of the law, Alvin's lyrics give the people he sings about depth and detail, and they're crafted with the skill of a talented novelist. Alvin also knows what sort of background to give to these stories, and the spectral guitar and accordion accompaniment of "No Worries Mija" feels just as right as the bluesy Bo Diddley stomp of "Run Conejo Run," and Alvin's electric guitar solos -- crisp, sharp, and bracing -- are as potent as he's been in years. And longtime fans will get a special kick out of "What's Up with Your Brother?," in which he swaps verses with his brother and former bandmate Phil Alvin and pokes fun at their combative reputation. Hearing Dave Alvin at work is to hear a man who is both a poet and a craftsman and remarkably gifted at both; Eleven Eleven shows he's a long way away from running out of ideas, and these 11 portraits of life in the Golden State are engrossing, thoughtful music that should satisfy old fans and engage those introducing themselves to his work for the first time. ~ Mark Deming

Details

1. Harlan County Line
2. Johnny Ace is Dead
3. Black Rose of Texas
4. Gary, Indiana 1959
5. Run Conejo Run
6. No Worries Mija
7. What's Up With Your Brother
8. Murrietta's Head
9. Manzanita
10. Dirty Nightgown
11. Two Lucky Bums
12. Harlan County Line
13. Boss of the Blues
14. Long White Cadillac
15. Rio Grande
16. Johnny Ace is Dead
17. Out of Control
18. Dry River
19. Run Conejo Run
20. Fourth of July
21. Beautiful City 'Cross the River
22. Signal Hill
23. Never Trust a Woman
24. Harlan County Line
25. Boss of the Blues
26. Long White Cadillac
27. Rio Grande
28. Johnny Ace is Dead
29. Abilene
30. Out of Control
31. Dry River
32. Run Conejo Run
33. Fourth of July

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Classification: CD - Pop