Dave Alvin - King Of California - VINYL LP

TexiCali, the new album from Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore, continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours' respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore). The geographic theme reflects Alvin's repeated journeys to record in Central Texas with Gilmore and the Austin-based backing band that has toured with the duo for the past few years. As Alvin puts it in the liner notes, those road trips informed the music they made on TexiCali. The 11 songs on this double LP also connect their shared fondness for a broad range of American music forms. Gilmore is primarily known for left-of-center country music, while Alvin's compass points largely toward old-school blues. But there's a lot of ground to cover beyond those foundations, and both artists also are well-known for transcending genre limitations. So it's not surprising that they've spiked TexiCali with cosmic folk narratives, deep R&B grooves and even swinging reggae rhythms.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin follow up their previous album, the Grammy nominated, Common Ground, with, Lost Time, a collection of blues songs from various artists that inspired the Alvin Brothers at a very early age. Common Ground focused exclusively on Big Bill Broonzy songs. With Lost Time the Alvin brothers dig in to the music of James Brown, Leadbelly, Willie Dixon, Blind Boy Fuller and Leroy Carr, among other greats. But they cover four songs by Big Joe Turner, as tribute to the blues legend t they met as teens, and who became their friend and mentor. Dave Alvin says, InchWe tried our best to honor all these magnificent musicians, songwriters and singers as well as expose them to new listeners, and perhaps raise some ghosts up from their graves for a minute or two. And, hopefully, my brother and I have also again found some damn lost time.Inch

TexiCali, the new album from Grammy winner Dave Alvin and Grammy nominee Jimmie Dale Gilmore, continues to bridge the distance between the two troubadours' respective home bases of California (Alvin) and Texas (Gilmore). The geographic theme reflects Alvin's repeated journeys to record in Central Texas with Gilmore and the Austin-based backing band that has toured with the duo for the past few years. As Alvin puts it in the liner notes, those road trips informed the music they made on TexiCali. The 11 songs on this double LP also connect their shared fondness for a broad range of American music forms. Gilmore is primarily known for left-of-center country music, while Alvin's compass points largely toward old-school blues. But there's a lot of ground to cover beyond those foundations, and both artists also are well-known for transcending genre limitations. So it's not surprising that they've spiked TexiCali with cosmic folk narratives, deep R&B grooves and even swinging reggae rhythms.