Just thought I'd throw my two cents in about Alejandro Escovedo's new CD Real Animal:  it's fantastic!  As lyrically strong as much of his earlier recordings, this Tony Visconti-produced collection of songs harkens back to the more uptempo crunch of his work with True Believers and Rank & File, and it jangles too.  After nearly losing Escovedo to Hepatitis C in 2003, it's a gift to have him back in such a strong, focused way, and few others have fused a string quartet together with a rock band as good as this man has done.

So, please, check him out here, if you're so inclined:

http://www.alejandroescovedo.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Animal-Alejandro-Escovedo/dp/B0018FZIS0