Arthur Alexander has gained his own claim to fame, despite sharing the same name as the legendary country-soul artist.
From 1973 to 1976, he was ringmaster of the New York-based Poppees. Shortly after the band splintered, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist became frontman of Sorrows. Not only did both these bands attain loads of local recognition, but are now universally hailed as pioneers of the triple shot power-pop, punk and new wave movement.
Arthur Alexander spent the next few decades working the production side of the biz, and in 2018 issued his first solo album. Pressed on the Dead Beat label, One Bar Left takes its moniker from when Alexander was caught in a rainstorm and dropped his cellphone in a puddle of water. A blue bar indicating usage was his last glimpse of the ill-fated device.
While Alexander handles lead vocals and plays a variety of instruments on One Bar Left, members of Sorrows, Dr. Boogie, Prima Donna and the Blessings were drafted in to contribute to the project.
A high-energy affair, the LP primarily contains rough-and-ready blue collar-styled rockers beating to a power-pop heart. Alexander’s tunefully tough pipes echo a punky Bruce Springsteen, where the instrumentation is skintight and roars with red hot fervor.
From the turbo-charged title track to the swaggering strut of “(She Got Me) Wang Dang Doodle” to the rumbling rockabilly of “Hard to Get” to the bump-and-grind groove of “Mary Lou, Mary Lou,” One Bar Left is an album calling listeners to rise up and boogie their butts off.
Rocking songs stocked with wicked riffs, burly harmonies and big melodies may be the main attraction, yet a bit of diversion is provided. For example, “Un Peu Plus Longtemps” proposes a reggae feel, and “Psycho-Automatic” embodies a new-wave vibe, marked by robotic rhythms and angular hooks. As well, the only non-original number, a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me” is turned into an edgy excursion, climaxing to a blaze of funky gospel-laden choruses and randy-dandy jamming.
A fantastic album from top to bottom, One Bar Left continually spotlights Alexander’s allegiance to authentic rock ‘n’ roll. Guided by the perfect pairing of purity and passion, these clingy songs exude a sense of timelessness.
Arthur Alexander is presently in the process of putting together the sequel to One Bar Left, which is definitely something to look forward to.
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