Fantasy/Concord

Alejandro Escovedo kicks up some serious rock and roll dust on Street Songs of Love, a set that reaffirms that this Texan is one of the most underrated singer/songwriters of his time. As with 2008’s Real Animal, Street Songs of Love was produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, U2), co-written with Chuck Prophet and alternates between crunching no-frills rock and roll guitar power and sap-free power ballads, a current of classic R&B hovering just beneath the surface. Working with his trio The Sensitive Boys, Escovedo offers up a baker’s-dozen of meditations on the ins, outs, ups and downs of love and life in a proletarian, unpretentious style that emphasizes his carefully crafted lyrical prowess and ear for melody. That Bruce Springsteen and Ian Hunter offer their support (on “Faith” and “Down in The Bowery,” respectively) is a bonus not to be discounted, but Escovedo and his crew need no help delivering.