Ex-Nuns, Rank and File and True Believers, Alejandro Escovedo found his greatest success as a solo artist cast as part of the past decade’s alt.country Americana scene. Like any great practitioner, Escovedo doesn’t conveniently fit the tag. Yes, his music is fueled by a desert-swept wanderlust and many of the instrumentalists who come out to play cut their teeth on raw-boned rock and C&W, but Escovedo is far too adventurous to stick within any perceived guidelines. He hired John Cale (Velvet Underground, Nico, Stooges) to produce the sessions and Cale’s own classical-avant-garde leanings can be heard in the sawing string arrangements. “Dear Head on the Wall” would be more at home on a collection of early ‘80s dance-pop hits than any collection of heartland rock. For that, refer to the opening hallucinatory salvo of “Arizona,” where it sounds as if Escovedo has indeed ingested the tequila worm. This playful, loose approach gives the songs depth and adventure and Escovedo’s telepathy with his bandmates make this more than just a "singer-songwriter with backing band" exercise. Everyone is fully integrated, as best expressed with “Notes On Air,” which begins innocently enough as a quiet, meditative piece before spiraling into a maelstrom of fierce guitar solos that threaten to end in free jazz.