Austin American Statesman XLent by Michael Corcoran June 13, 2002:

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Alejandro Escovedo
Thirteen Years (Lone Star, TMG)

Some felt Escovedo was capitalizing on the death of Bobbie when he released this album based on their relationship in 1993, just two years after her death. But this gorgeous album, with its orchestral textures and deep lyrical simplicity, asserts that an artist is precisely someone who tries to make sense of the senseless. At the end is "The End," kicking open a new door: "the unexpected is my best friend" he sings, while the violins add an exotic twist to a straightforward rocker.

The bonus disc is a subdued affair, with instrumental mixes of the lushest, most string-laden numbers and a live set that includes a haunting "I Wish I Was Your Mother" and the obligatory Velvet Underground cover "Pale Blue Eyes." Closing the disc is a barroom blitzing version of "Gravity" by garage band side project Buick MacKane.