Article Contributed by LPC Media
Published on 2026-08-18
Craft Recordings and HighTone Records proudly announce a new deluxe reissue of Blackjack David, the esteemed 1998 album from GRAMMY®-winning Americana icon Dave Alvin. Featuring highlights such as “Abilene,” “Evening Blues,” “California Snow,” and “Blackjack David,” the album will be available October 16 on 2-LP, CD, and digital, including hi-res. PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE
The special reissue also includes two bonus tracks: “Dixie Highway Blues,” which was written for the album but originally released on 2008’s The Best of the HighTone Years, and the previously unreleased “Angel On Your Shoulder,” recorded during the same sessions, with finishing touches added recently by Alvin and his longtime producer, Greg Leisz.
Alvin says of the track, “[It] got away and it shouldn’t have, so it’s great to have it be part of the canon now.”
“Angel On Your Shoulder” is available to stream for the first time today. Physical formats also feature new liner notes by music journalist and No Depression co-founder Peter Blackstock.
GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Dave Alvin has long been counted among the pioneers of Americana music. A Southern California native, Alvin began his career in 1979 as a founding member of The Blasters alongside his brother Phil. Their unique blend of punk, rockabilly, and classic American music soon made them a fixture in the early Los Angeles punk scene. By the middle of the decade—after stints with X and The Knitters—Alvin was eager to embark on a solo career, launching with his 1987 debut, Romeo’s Escape.
By the mid-’90s, Alvin was finding his groove in stripped-down settings—a departure from the high-voltage, electric stylings of his earlier work. 1998’s Blackjack David marked the pinnacle of this era, with primarily acoustic arrangements that let his storytelling and emotive vocals take center stage.
Alvin, who shines on the acoustic six-string guitar, reunited with multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz, who produced his 1994 studio album, King of California, and would go on to helm several of his future releases. Leisz, who also performed a variety of the instrumentation on the album—including lap steel and slide guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and pedal steel—lent the album a dynamic sound that blended elements of blues, rock, folk, and country.
“I’ve learned from a lot of musicians, but no one has taught me more than my dear friend Greg Leisz,” Alvin asserts. “Working with Greg was like studying for a PHD in guitar playing, singing and producing, particularly on the album Blackjack David, where I let Greg have free reign with his beautiful and sensitive interpretations of my songs. I will never be able to thank him enough for this.”
Setting the tone for Blackjack David is the eerie title track—a traditional tune about a charming outlaw, which Alvin first began playing with The Blasters. The remainder of the tracks, all originals, focus on the human experience, as Alvin spins rich, world-weary narratives of everyday life.
“Abilene” follows a young woman traveling from town to town in search of a better life, while “From a Kitchen Table” tells the story of a man who never left his hometown and lives a life of monotony. Other songs deliver stark social commentary, including “California Snow,” written from the point of view of a border agent, and “1968,” about an aging Vietnam veteran haunted by the loss of his best friend.
Alvin also explores love and loss throughout the album, from “Evening Blues” and “The Way You Say Good-Bye” to the haunting closer “Tall Trees.”
Long considered a highlight in Alvin’s career, Blackjack David has received broad praise over the years. In his new liner notes, Peter Blackstock remembers the 1998 album as a turning point in Alvin’s career.
“Looking back, Blackjack David stands tall as an album that significantly expanded Alvin’s acoustic repertoire…. This record helped him find his voice, and be more confident as a singer. Now he doesn't need help doing that, because he knows how to do it. He just can do it on his own—and he has been for a long time.”
Blackjack David Tracklist — Vinyl
Side A
1. Blackjack David
2. Abilene
3. New Highway
4. California Snow
Side B
1. Evening Blues
2. The Way You Say Good-Bye
3. Mary Brown
Side C
1. Laurel Lynn
2. 1968
3. From A Kitchen Table
Side D
1. Tall Trees
2. Angel On Your Shoulder*
3. Dixie Highway Blues
Blackjack David Tracklist — CD/Digital
1. Blackjack David
2. Abilene
3. New Highway
4. California Snow
5. Evening Blues
6. The Way You Say Good-Bye
7. Mary Brown
8. Laurel Lynn
9. 1968
10. From A Kitchen Table
11. Tall Trees
12. Angel On Your Shoulder*
13. Dixie Highway Blues
*Previously unreleased
