Alejandro Escovedo should be a star

Alejandro Escovedo's new album is a knockout, and restores some balls-out rock to his sound, which had turned softer in the years since he nearly died in 2003.

Above is a stream of an excellent "Soundcheck" episode that chronicles Escovedo's rich and diverse musical background (from punk and cowpunk to recording with Springsteen), samples some of the new disc and leaves me marveling at how Escovedo's passion, persistence and sheer will continue to create great stuff as he heads toward age 60.