With These Hands
Studio album by
Alejandro Escovedo
Released1996
StudioThe Hit Shack, Austin, Texas
GenreRoots rock, alternative rock
LabelRykodisc[1]
ProducerT.S. Bruton
Alejandro Escovedo chronology
Thirteen Years
(1993)		 With These Hands
(1996)		 More Miles Than Money: Live 1994–96
(1998)

With These Hands is the third album by the American roots rock musician Alejandro Escovedo, released in 1996.[2][3] It was his only solo album for Rykodisc.[4]

Production

The album was produced by T.S. Bruton.[5]

"Tugboat" is a tribute to Sterling Morrison; Escovedo knew him from their days working at the University of Texas.[6] Willie Nelson duets with Escovedo on "Nickel and a Spoon".[7] The title track includes contributions from several Escovedos, including Alejandro's brother Pete and niece Sheila E.[8] Jennifer Warnes sang backing vocals on "Pissed Off 2AM".[9] Charlie Sexton also contributed to With These Hands.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Austin Chronicle[12]
Calgary Herald[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[15]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Uncut[16]
Vancouver Sun[10]

The Chicago Reader stated that Escovedo's "warm, slow-bubbling melodies are given alternately dense, sumptuous, and spare treatments that help the ballads flutter and the rockers rock."[17] Trouser Press praised the duet with Nelson, labeling it "classical-folk balladry."[18] Miami New Times called the album "a grim and sprawling masterpiece that weds his rough-hewn baritone with classic rock and roll riffs and the elegiac ambiance of vintage country weepers."[19] The New York Times considered the album to be the best of Escovedo's first three, writing that it "doesn't try for comfort, but for stoic acceptance."[20]

The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that Escovedo "employs a blunt rock attack softened by the calm, considered observations of a natural poet."[21] Entertainment Weekly opined that the "multi-textured roots-pop ... would be utterly beguiling if it weren’t for his unresonant, plain-as-dough voice."[22] The Calgary Herald declared that "Alejandro is on a roll, arguably the most original voice in America today, a man whose heart and soulful music aches with a sense of being that is a beauty, however bruised, to behold."[13]

AllMusic wrote that "if With These Hands doesn't break much new ground for him, it shows he's still in full command of his considerable gifts as a musician, and it's an impressive achievement."[11] Reviewing the 2003 reissue, The Austin Chronicle called the album "dense with guests, guitars, and every musical spicing save for mortar and pestle."[12] Uncut thought that "it’s a suitably raucous affair, though the full band tends to swamp Escovedo’s dusky timbre occasionally."[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Put You Down" 
2."Slip" 
3."Crooked Frame" 
4."Pissed Off 2AM" 
5."Nickel and a Spoon" 
6."Little Bottles" 
7."Sometimes" 
8."Guilty" 
9."Tired Skin" 
10."With These Hands" 
11."Tugboat" 

References

  1. ↑ Koster, Rick (May 8, 2000). "Texas Music". Macmillan – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Alejandro Escovedo Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Alejandro Escovedo". The New Yorker.
  4. 1 2 (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 282–283.
  5. ↑ Morris, Chris (Feb 10, 1996). "Rykodisc's Escovedo rocks out". Billboard. 108 (6): 15.
  6. ↑ "The Flying Nun". SF Weekly. May 1, 1996.
  7. ↑ Wolff, Kurt (January 4, 2000). "Country Music: The Rough Guide". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Armstrong, Gene. "A Family Affair". Tucson Weekly.
  9. ↑ McLeese, Don (15 Feb 1996). "3 songwriters, 1 attitude; Salas-Humara, Hall and Escovedo pursue solo projects as they regroup for second Setters album". Austin American-Statesman. p. 5.
  10. 1 2 Monk, Katherine (4 Apr 1996). "Just let yourself go with Alejandro Escovedo - you will never regret it". Vancouver Sun. p. D10.
  11. 1 2 "With These Hands - Alejandro Escovedo | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. 1 2 "Alejandro Escovedo: With These Hands Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com.
  13. 1 2 Muretich, James (31 Mar 1996). "New Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  14. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 309.
  15. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 394.
  16. 1 2 "Alejandro Escovedo - With These Hands". Uncut. February 1, 2004.
  17. ↑ Margasak, Peter (June 20, 1996). "Alejandro Escovedo/Cheri Knight". Chicago Reader.
  18. ↑ "Alejandro Escovedo". Trouser Press. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  19. ↑ Tignor, John Floyd, Roni Sarig, Steven Almond, Stephen. "Rotations". Miami New Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ Pareles, Jon (9 Apr 1996). "Choosing The Solo Alternative". The New York Times. p. C13.
  21. ↑ Moon, Tom (17 Mar 1996). "CELEBRATING DUAL HERITAGE WITH CULTURE-MIXING MUSIC". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
  22. ↑ "With These Hands". EW.com.
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