Lynn Blakey always seems to figure into Alejandro Escovedo's shows around here. The Tres Chicas siren has known Escovedo for years, and more often than not she winds up onstage for a star turn when he's in town. Thursday night at Cat's Cradle was no exception, as she joined him as special-guest vocalist for the encore. First came a letter-perfect cover of "All the Young Dudes," which was stunning. But then came the masterstroke, a duet on "Beast of Burden," in which Escovedo preened and strutted while Blakey played the wide-eyed blushing ingenue to perfection as they traded verses, vamps and glances. It was one of the most wonderful and hilarious things I've seen all year.

The rest of the set included most of Escovedo's new album, played in the key of rawk. In contrast to some of his previous orchestrated lineups, Escovedo's current touring band is a stripped-down twin-guitar quartet that offers up major raw power. But the show didn't lack for range. The other big highlight was a four-song acoustic interluded centered around an amazing rearrangement of Escovedo's ballad "I Was Drunk." He mutated the song into a flamenco raveup, with David Pulkingham's guitar bordering on skronk-jazz -- very cool. It went something like this, only more intense.

ADDENDUM: Excellent recap from Peter Blackstock.