Only a few short years ago, Alejandro Escovedo was fighting for his life battling a very serious dose of Hepatitis C. His recovery led to 2006's The Boxing Mirror, which was an introspective and melancholy record that really focused on his brush with death. Just two years later, Escovedo's new album Real Animal is almost a complete turnaround filled with barnstorming rockers that resonate with a real zest and appreciation for life.

Real Animal is heavy on songs that look back on Escovedo's past. "Nun's Song" is about Escovedo's mid-70's Punk band The Nuns and "Chelsea Hotel ‘78" is Escovedo reflecting on his time living in New York in the late 1970's. Real Animal is also the kind of record that wears its influences on its sleeve proudly. Album opener "Always A Friend" shows how much of an influence Bruce Springsteen has been on Escovedo over the years and "Golden Bear" is almost an exact replica musically of David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes." Escovedo has made many a great album in his near 30-year career but never one so instantly likeable and start to finish strong as this. Real Animal will certainly be a contender for one of the best albums of 2008.