Texicali

The gritty, passionate moan of Dave Alvin and the sweetly wavering zen cowboy peal of Jimmie Dale Gilmore are decidedly different flavors, but they proved to complement one another surprisingly well on their 2018 collaborative album Downey to Lubbock, and these two heroes of American roots music have teamed up again for the 2024 release Texicali. Much like his partners in the Flatlanders, Gilmore clearly enjoys working with Alvin, but their interplay often feels less like duets and more like two friends who respectfully pass the mike back and forth, with each clearly respecting one another yet not trying to get in one anothers way. Alvin produced Texicali, and several members of his backing band the Guilty Men appear in the studio crew, so it should come as no surprise this sounds a bit more like a Dave Alvin project than a Jimmie Dale Gilmore LP, and Gilmore only gets three writing credits among the 11 songs on deck. That said, Gilmore more than makes himself felt in this music -- his vocal contributions and high-lonesome harmonica on "Death of the Last Stripper" (which Alvin wrote with Terry Allen and Jo Harvey Allen) add a mournful gravitas to what could have been either treacle or mean-spirited wit, the peaks and valleys of his voice brilliantly serve "Roll Around" (penned by fellow Flatlander Butch Hancock), he makes the opening track "Borderland" sound both ominous and inviting, and with Alvin he makes "Were Still Here" sound cheerfully rowdy without diluting the songs celebration of perseverance. And Alvin, one of the most consistently excellent artists in roots rock, shows hes still a force to be reckoned with on "Southwest Chief" (an homage to rail travel and his late friend Bill Morrissey), "Blind Owl" (a tribute to the late Canned Heat harmonica ace Alan Wilson), and the crime ballad "Betty and Dupree," his most effective vocal back-and-forth on the album. To paraphrase that old candy commercial, Alvin and Gilmore are two great tastes who taste great together, with Alvins salt and Gilmores sweetness accenting one another very well indeed, and Texicali is strong enough to suggest this collaboration should have gas in the tank for at least one more album. ~ Mark Deming