Rob AlexanderÂ
Being Myself
(Rob Alexander)
Rob Alexander might be an anesthesiologist, but the last thing he’ll do is put you to sleep on his new full-length album, Being Myself. Here’s a 15-song bunch of tightly woven adult contemporary pop/rock, with the main man in fine voice, being backed by some wonderful players.
“This Hollywood Road” opens. With its catchy chorus, big beat, and Alexander’s vocals, it moves along nicely. Robbie Angelucci expertly wails over the top of it all. A driven synth, rolling into piano, informs the title track that follows, Alexander sounding quite like a modern-day Elton John (as he does plenty here, not that this is a bad thing); another stable contemporary adult hit.
I really dig John Mahon’s drums and percussion on the almost-gospel feel of “Never Gonna Let You Go,†the first ballad here. Once again the players are spot-on perfect, with Rick Keller’s saxophone sweetly rolling through. This one, as well as the piano-and-string ballad “Our Love Will Last Forever,†landing later, really showcases Alexander working the lower register of his vocals.
I especially appreciate a guy paying attention to the nuances of this kind of singing instead of merely trying to muster breath, courage, and tone to hit high notes. Whoever determined that a good male voice was only ever one that could reach the stratosphere? Alexander mines the sexy register guys like Tom Jones, the aforementioned more modern Elton and Dave Matthews have all worked to full effect.
I dig “Fed Up,†with its acoustic flip-and-slap, slight Latin vibe. The lyrics here are a nice change-up from all the secure-in-love stuff we get before it. And another synth acts as the bed for the danceable ender “Secrets & Lies.†This one is a little light for my tastes but still rendered expertly for a solid single.
Rob Alexander’s Being Myself is a great record.
