Amazon.com When No Depression magazine declared Alejandro Escovedo "The Artist of the Decade," the decision must have baffled everyone except the handful of people who had actually listened to his records. On his three studio albums and 1998's triumphant live album, he blended violin, cello, and buzz-saw guitar to fashion an utterly distinctive chamber-punk sound. He needed such a sound to accommodate songs about the stillness and terror of those early morning hours when you can't hide from the "what's it all for?" questions. Bourbonitis Blues isn't as epochal as its predecessors because it has been cobbled together from three different sessions and offers only three new originals. But Escovedo's one-of-a-kind arrangements are as haunting as ever; his remakes of songs by Lou Reed, John Cale, Gun Club, Jimmie Rodgers, and Ian Hunter are revealing, and the three new numbers are very good indeed. Contributions are made by past and current members of the Mekons, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jody Grind, and dB's. --Geoffrey Himes Product Description Fell a brand new heartache coming on? It's the master of internal disaster, Alejandro Escovedo back with a loaded deck of newly recorded songs for you listening pleasure. But be careful! Before you know it, this combination of new tunes and cover favoriteswith twist your guts into neat little knots and lwave you smiling on the outside, crying on the inside. Review With The Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra, he has synthesized the disparate elements of his musical background, punk, art rock, cowpunk, and roots rock into a wonderfully rich, distinctive and atmospheric sound, one, however, that his previous labels were unable or unwilling to put on record in uncompromised form. --3rd Coast Music Bourbonitis Blues comes the closest yet to getting everything Escovedo does best down on a single disc. BB finally touches on both the fragile poignancy and reckless bashing that make Escovedo's shows so exhilarating. They nailed it. --Now Magazine Escovedo proves he can do practically anything, and do it as well as anyone, from blazing power-chord assaults that reveal his love of the Stooges and the Stones to teary eyed ballads that could turn George Jones into a sobbing shell of a man. Bourbonitis Blues is a masterpiece of despair, the soundtrack for those nights when heartache is harder to shake than heroin. --Miami New Times