Veteran Austin-based singer-guitarist Alejandro Escovedo has persevered through three decades of rough-and-tumble rock 'n' roll and lived to make an album about it. He's seen his ballyhooed punk/garage bands the Nuns, Rank and File, and the True Believers come and go. He's also eluded death after a really bad bout with hepatitis. All the while, he's delivered one stellar album after another but hasn't had anything resembling a hit (and that’s after Springsteen’s management took him on in 2008). Still, this guy is an American treasure and a truly great songwriter who doesn’t play Cleveland as often as we’d like. (Jeff Niesel)