Central New York singer/songwriter Kevin Alexander releases third album
Central New York singer/songwriter Kevin Alexander sets a busy pace for himself.
In February 2017, he released his first solo album “The Lovely.” This was followed with his second, “Girls & Other Beasties,” released in October 2023. In between he also managed to fit in an album of cover tunes titled “Cobalt: Acoustic Covers Vol 1.”
Now, right on schedule, comes Alexander’s third solo album, “Unhappy Imperials,” due out May 25.
The album, featuring 12 original compositions, was recorded in his home studio beginning in January 2022, completed by January 2024, then mixed and mastered by Jocko of Capture.Studio in Syracuse in March 2024.
Let’s deal initially with the elephant in the room: The record is not exactly a laugh riot. Alexander commented in an earlier interview, “My music isn’t something you’d listen to when you’re in a club or on a marathon run.” This caveat goes double for “Unhappy Imperials.”
The songs on this collection don’t exactly inspire raucous laughter. The tunes are highly introspective and take a hard look at the negatives inherent in modern life. While not what I would call depressing, they do fulfill what Kevin sees as the central theme of the record.
“To me,” he explains, “the theme is about the human capacity to be unhappy despite all of the comforts of modern-day society.”
While the music is firmly rooted in the folk realm, this is not the folk music of Peter, Paul and Mary or the Kingston Trio. This has a contemporary sound and feel, while never abandoning its acoustic pedigree.
But other influences also make themselves felt.
Some songs mine an acoustic prog vein, chiefly “Pinecone,” a stripped-back arrangement about resignation that evokes an early Peter Gabriel/Genesis vibe (and has the most compelling melody on the record) and “Rocketeer,” which calls to mind something Steve Hackett might have contributed to an early Genesis album.
Other influences show up in a song like the atmospheric “Lonely Mile,” with a heavily reverbed electric guitar riff that is vaguely reminiscent of Chris Isacc’s “Wicked Game.” Alexander breaks things up with the only true rocker on the album, “So Tired,” an unabashed rock arrangement about longing for escape, while “Don’t Make Me Go” and “Rebound” also provide electric energy and drive.
But mostly, Alexander remains true to his acoustic roots. The songs are built around tried-and-true chord progressions (and that’s not a bad thing), effectively accompanied by an unadorned acoustic guitar-driven accompaniment (with occasional help from Joe Westerlund, a percussionist from NC, and Capture.Studio engineer Casey Ahrens-Cavallo adding some keyboard parts).
“Unhappy Imperials” is available for streaming on all major platforms. You can check out his live show locally at the Lotus Garden and Sushi House on June 7 at 6 p.m. and he also will be performing at The Renaissance Pub in Little Falls every second Friday of the month from 8-11 p.m. For more dates visit his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KevinAlexanderFolk.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Album review: 'Unhappy Imperials' by Central NY's Kevin Alexander
