Eleven Eleven (Dave Alvin album)

The recording of Eleven Eleven was influenced by the then-recent deaths of Alvin's friends Chris Gaffney and Amy Farris.[2] The eleven songs on Eleven Eleven were written over the course of seven months, with three exceptions: the three duets on the album, which were "What's Up With Your Brother", "Manzanita", and "Two Lucky Bums".[3] "What's Up With Your Brother" is a duet between Alvin and his brother, Phil Alvin, in which both brothers sing together for the first time on record. "Manzanita" is a duet between Alvin and Christy McWilson, a member of his band, the Guilty Women. "Two Lucky Bums" is a duet between Alvin and Chris Gaffney, and represents Gaffney's last recording before he died in 2008.[3] The song "Harlan County Line" was written for the TV show Justified.[4]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(84%)[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
American Songwriter	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Robert Christgau	(A-)[9]
PopMatters	(8/10)[10]
Los Angeles Times	[2]

Eleven Eleven received mostly favorable reviews from critics.[5] Wayne Robins wrote in American Songwriter that the album's best songs were "character studies or snapshots of history".[7] Many critics described "Johnny Ace is Dead" as one of the best songs on the album,[7][8] with Steve Horowitz of PopMatters calling it "the best damn Johnny Ace song one could ever imagine."[10]

All tracks composed by Dave Alvin; except where indicated

1. "Harlan County Line" – 5:12
2. "Johnny Ace is Dead" – 4:27
3. "Black Rose of Texas" – 4:52
4. "Gary, Indiana 1959" – 4:06
5. "Run Conejo Run" – 4:52
6. "No Worries Mija" (Chris Gaffney) – 3:36
7. "What's Up with Your Brother?" – 4:44
8. "Murrietta's Head" – 5:59
9. "Manzanita" (Christy McWilson) – 4:09
10. "Dirty Nightgown" – 5:19
11. "Two Lucky Bums" – 2:28

• Dave Alvin – vocals, guitar
• Phil Alvin – vocals
• Gregory Boaz – bass
• Chris Gaffney – accordion, vocals
• Bob Glaub – bass, percussion
• Don Heffington – drums, percussion, timbales
• David Jackson – accordion, upright bass
• Greg Leisz – baritone guitar, guitar, lap steel guitar
• Christy McWilson – piano, vocals
• Steve Mugalian – drums, percussion
• Danny Ott – slide guitar, guitar, vocal harmony
• Wyman Reese – organ, piano
• Jack Rudy – harmonica
• Rick Shea – guitar, pedal steel guitar
• Gene Taylor – piano

• Dave Alvin – producer
• Craig Parker Adams – engineer, mixing
• Joe Gastwirt – mastering
• Michael Triplett – art direction, design
• Harry Sabin – photo assistance
• Nancy Sefton – art direction
• Beth Herzhaft – photography