A Man Under the Influence

A Man Under the Influence
Studio album by Alejandro Escovedo
Released	April 24, 2001 (2001-04-24)
Studio	Modern Recording, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Genre	Roots rock
Length	50:09
Label	Bloodshot
Producer	Chris Stamey
Alejandro Escovedo chronology
Bourbonitis Blues (1999) A Man Under the Influence (2001) By the Hand of the Father (2002)

A Man Under the Influence is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, released on April 24, 2001, on Bloodshot Records. It was produced by Chris Stamey. A deluxe edition was released on November 15, 2009.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Austin Chronicle	[3]
Blender	[4]
Now	4/5[5]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Slant Magazine	[1]
Spin	7/10[10]

Billboard wrote that A Man Under the Influence was "the best studio performance Escovedo has ever delivered".[11] Similarly, Joshua Klein wrote in The A.V. Club that the album "could be Escovedo's best yet",[12] and James Mann said in PopMatters that the album was "far and away his best work".[13]

Several critics also commended Stamey's production on the album: Joe Tangari wrote in Pitchfork that on the track "Velvet Guitar", his production "keeps [the five guitarists on that track] all in their respective places, avoiding a sloppy mess."[6] Additionally, Raoul Hernandez wrote in The Austin Chronicle that Stamey "deserves credit for the LP's overall cohesion of sound",[3] while Michael Barclay of Exclaim! wrote that Stamey's production "captures the mood perfectly".[14]

Conversely, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "Wave" and "Castanets" as "choice cuts", indicating good songs "on an album that isn't worth your time or money."[15]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Alejandro Escovedo; except where indicated

1. "Wave"
2. "Rosalie"
3. "Rhapsody" (Escovedo, Stephen Barber)
4. "Across the River"
5. "Castanets"
6. "Don't Need You"
7. "Follow You Down" (Escovedo, Stephen Barber)
8. "Wedding Day" (Escovedo, JD Foster)
9. "Velvet Guitar"
10. "As I Fall"
11. "About This Love"

Personnel

• Alejandro Escovedo - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals
• Ryan Adams - vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Lynn Blakey - vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Caitlin Cary - violin, backing vocals
• Tonya Lamm - vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Michael "Cornbread" Traylor - bass
• Mike Daly - bass, 12-string electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mando-guitar, mandolin, pedal steel
• Mitch Easter - electric guitar, engineer
• Eric Heywood - pedal steel, pump organ, vocal harmony
• Joe Eddy Hines - electric guitar, slide guitar
• Hector Muñoz - drums, orchestral percussion, tambourine
• Aaron Oliva - bowed double bass, double bass
• David Perales - violin, vocal harmony
• Chip Robinson - vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Chris Stamey - bass, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, electric guitar, Kurzweil synthesizer, sleigh bells, engineer
• Brian Standefer - cello
• Jon Wurster - shaker

Technical

• John Plymale, Tim Harper - mixing
• Markus Greiner - design
• Dana Lee Smith - artwork

References

1. Keefe, Jonathan (November 15, 2009). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence: Deluxe Bourbonitis Edition Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
2. Deming, Mark. "A Man Under the Influence – Alejandro Escovedo". AllMusic. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
3. Hernandez, Raoul (April 27, 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence (Bloodshot)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
4. Peisner, David. "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". Blender. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
5. Perlich, Tim (May 10, 2001). "A Man Under The Influence". Now. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
6. Tangari, Joe (April 24, 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
7. "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". Q (178): 108. July 2001.
8. Fricke, David (April 26, 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under The Influence". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
9. Skanse, Richard (2004). "Alejandro Escovedo". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 282–83. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
10. Moon, Tom (April 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". Spin. 17 (4): 162. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
11. "A Man Under the Influence". Billboard. May 19, 2001. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
12. Klein, Joshua (April 19, 2002). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under The Influence". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
13. Mann, James (April 23, 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". PopMatters. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
14. Barclay, Michael (April 30, 2001). "Alejandro Escovedo: A Man Under the Influence". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
15. Christgau, Robert (June 10, 2003). "Consumer Guide: Eating Again". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 5, 2016.