Real Animal - Alejandro Escovedo
Real Animal Image
Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 6 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The ninth solo album for the former punk rocker was produced by Tony Visconti.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. All Music Guide
    90
    Real Animal is an album about life--both as survival and as the faces and moments that fill our days on this Earth. How many artists could make two masterpieces in a row that are so different?
  2. Paste Magazine
    80
    Even as the songs triangulate the nexus of Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop and Doug Sahm, the album never sounds beholden to rock history. It’s more of an autobiographical undertaking, as if Escovedo is taking stock of his life, his career and his record collection—which are all essentially the same thing. As a result, each song sounds like a new chapter in a larger story and Real Animal like a new installment in an ongoing epic.
  3. Uncut
    80
    With strong ensemble backing Escovedo alternates gentle, reflective lullabies with incendiary Mott-styled rockers, to marvellous effect. [Aug 2008, p.93]
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  4. Spin
    80
    The enthralling Real Animal presents a concise overview of the man's art and life, encompassing the punk fury of the Nuns, the country-rock twang of Rank and File, the rootsy guitar assault of True Believers, and the late-era tortured, string-quintet balladry that showcases his unbearably sad voice.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. TrabajadorS.
    10
    His best work yet--and two of his previous are firmly planted on my desert island list.
  2. BruceN.
    10
    Best record of the year from beginning to end. Excellent songwriting and sujperb guitar work by Escovedo and David Pulkingham backed by the production wizardry of Tony Visconti. I listened to this recording more than any other I've purchased in recent years.… Expand
  3. DS
    10
    This is a great album. It sounds like Southside Johnny, Springsteen, and Joe Strummer.
  4. JeffP
    7
    My first Escovedo album purchase. This is not killer. It is pedestrian rock and roll at best. His voice is interesting as are the lyrics, but honestly aren't these just re-writes of old Sprinsteen and Clapton songs? Produced well enough to rate this score.… Expand

See all 5 User Reviews

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