Is it possible to make music catchier than every single track on Rob Alexander’s latest full-length release, Young Man’s Eyes? Perhaps, but it would take quite an effort to create music that, although brand-new, makes a toe-tapping impression while remaining intelligent enough to warrant repeated listenings. Rob Alexander is creating smartly arranged, piano-based, contemporary pop rock that leans on the sensibilities and expressions of Sir Elton John (and perhaps a little Billy Joel). Translation: It’s good stuff, and you wish the radio – which…is still a thing? – played more music just like it. Intrigued? Missing master pop music makers in your talent-deprived playlist? Then let’s dance to the following highlights from Rob Alexander’s latest drop.
Track one, “The Soul or the Skin,” immediately surprised me. When we reviewed the album’s single, “Get Over Yourself,” we were presented with a more electronic, perhaps audience-and-dance-friendly song. “The Soul or the Skin” kicks off with a quickly strummed electric guitar. The piano arrives with helpful chords, but an electric guitar is the brick and mortar. With Alexander’s familiar, Elton John-inspired vocals, this rock-leaning track immediately shatters any preconceptions of Alexander’s musical output.
And track two? “Freak Show”? More rock. And it’s slightly dirtier rock with muted, almost metal-chugging notes. The guitar follows Alexander’s vocals – a little more diabolical in his delivery – and continues chugging, strumming, and riffing through this ominous rock offering.
Track #3, “Sometimes We Fall Apart,” is calmer, friendlier, and based around piano. This track isn’t aggressive or demanding – it’s simply acceptance.
“Your Shelter” is another great piano-based track; this is what modern-day Elton John should sound like. With a strong chorus, and at times, a more dramatic vibrato, “Your Shelter” is a modern classic (if that isn’t too much of a contradiction).
“Pillars of Hercules (Davey, Nigel, & Dee)” is upbeat, boasting a touch of glam rock flamboyance, and dropping some classic Elton John references. Great chorus, great energy, and an overall exceptional tribute.
When I reviewed “Get Over Yourself (feat. Gigi Worth),” I called it “melodic, fun, and movement-generating pop.” I still stand by that statement. An observation: With the rest of the album as context, this song stands as something unique – something that edges into electronic pop, and magnifies the danceability factor. It’s super-duper catchy with a great chorus, and a little different from the album’s piano-built rock.
“Like an Angel” features a great chorus, and a spacious sonic palette with an echoing, sliding guitar. And “The Kids Don’t Play Anymore” is a big-sounding orchestral piece that kicks off powerfully and doesn’t diminish. This might be my favorite track.
The final song, “Black Widow Rising,” kicks off with horns and a little elegant attitude. Describing a potentially dangerous female, “Black Widow Rising” is punchy, confident, and ends with a final, echoing recitation of the song’s title. It’s quick, and perhaps a little abrupt, but it ends the album with an exclamation point and not a lingering ellipsis.
Featuring musicians from Elton John’s touring band (and Frankie Valli’s backing band), Rob Alexander’s new album, Young Man’s Eyes, is the kind of mature pop rock music missing from the radio waves (or, popular pop playlists). Since yesterday’s great singers/songwriters have perhaps lost the urge to create new, authentic music, I recommend an immediate torch passing to a certain mister Alexander. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to Rob Alexander and check him out on Soundcloud, Spotify, ReverbNation, YouTube, Bandcamp, Apple Music, iTunes, and more. Please support Rob Alexander by visiting him on his website, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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