Dave Alvin Blackjack David (HighTone Records)  Before radio
defined formats such as AAA and Americana, musical styles such
as folk, hillbilly and blues seemed to sprout from the soil.
Dave Alvin digs deep into that soil to embellish the stories
that form the heart of Blackjack David. Alvin abandons the
Blasters-like energy of his 1996 album, Interstate City, to tell
the tales of a downtrodden crew. That doesn't mean he completely
eschews rocking numbers, just that the musical stew is seasoned
with accordions, pedal-steel guitars, fiddles and even a
clarinet.  By kicking off the album with an ominous, incantatory
version of the traditional "Blackjack David," Alvin sets the
tone. Like many other age-old folk ballads, "Blackjack David"
focuses on a love that forsakes all, that upsets the balance of
a life: "Last night, she slept in a fine, fine bed/Beside her
husband and baby/Tonight, she sleeps on the cold, cold
ground/Beside old Blackjack David." Life in '90s America seems
anesthetized by comparison, but Alvi