LEE ALEXANDER: Out of Place

Lee Alexander

Out of Place

© 2006 Zymurgist Publishing/Montrose Records (616493013320)

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Creative Pop Rock from a singer/songwriter perspective. Cool harmonies, thoughtful lyrics with an Irish twist.

notes

Houston Press May 11, 2006 by John Nova Lomax

Folksy Americana rocker Lee Alexander is another Beatles fanatic -- on Out of Place, his Richard Cagle-produced debut CD, the backing harmonies are a dead giveaway, as are certain sitarlike guitar effects here and there. Album opener "Venus Rising" finds Alexander in Lennon mode and Cagle in full-on homage to George Martin -- but the electric piano/ woodwinds vibe is more faux-Edwardian Sgt. Pepper's than Helter Skelter White Album.

Other '60s influences crop up -- the whispery, harmonica-tinged acoustic number "On the Down Side" replicates Simon & Garfunkel (and '70s Shake Russell/Dana Cooper), while the bossa nova "My Sweet Addiction" harks back to Sergio Mendes and other such Brazilian pop crossover stuff. Equally obvious debts to guys like Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and Steve Earle crop up elsewhere.

Lyrically, Alexander mainly mines relationship veins -- he finds rich ore on the bitterly funny "Better Him Than Me" -- but he also throws in tributes to Woody Guthrie and his tough-as-nails late grandmother, a sly Tom DeLay slam and a remake of "Danny Boy." The Nacogdoches-bred musician also plays a staggering array of instruments -- mandolin, fife, guitar, piano, uilleann pipes, harmonica and violin -- which should tell you that this CD never gets too same-y.

Alexander has enormous potential -- Out of Place is that rarest of rare local CDs that is both potentially commercial on a national scale and downright enjoyable to boot. I do have one quibble: On some but by no means all songs, Alexander's voice is overly breathy and he affects some weird accentÉyou know that one that all those singers on OC bands have that makes the sorority girls swoon?

See him at: The Vintage Bar (4356 Westheimer, 713-355-3093) on Friday, May 12, and the Proletariat (903 Richmond, 713-523-1199) on Wednesday, May 17.

reviews

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  • Out Of Place
    author: GAYLE TERWISSCHA

    Thanks, really enjoying the CD. I bought a copy for my daughter and myself. We saw him in concert with Nora Jones when they were in Minneapolis. I had a challenge finding the CD, but we are both really enjoying it. It is on my favorite playlist. Thanks waiting for the next one.

  • Great music!
    author: Susan

    This is a great CD. I bought this copy as a Christmas gift for relatives in North Carolina, since I love mine so much.

  • Great tunes.
    author: Pete

    The songs on this cd represent everything of what song writing should be about. Lee Alexander has a talent for combining lyrics, music and melody that's as sweet as Tupelo Honey. Great tunes indeed.

  • Out of Place needs a place within the pop mainstream
    author: Chris Edwards

    Lee Alexander's debut long player is the finest album I have heard in quite some time. I am not pontificating on Lee's talents and the sound of this record just because I have a vested interest in Texas music, especially performers who have ties to the Nacogdoches scene; none of that partiality is necessary...just take a listen to "Out of Place" and you will hear what I mean. There isn't a bad track in the bunch. At first, if you're a fan of rootsy, acoustic folk-type stuff or of jangly alt-pop, you might find this record a little schizophrenic--Alexander is truly one of the few artists who can claim to be, and actually is very eclectic with his stylings. But after a while, whether you're more into acoustic stuff, you'll love the poppier numbers, like "Save it All," and if you're more into that type of stuff, you'll also love the great mostly acoustic songs like "Soul of America" and "On the Downside." Alexander is quite a capable instrumentalist, as he plays several instruments here and his voice, while varied throughout is top-notch, sounding at times like a more talented Rob Thomas and also featuring influences of people like Steve Earle. The production on this record by Richard Cagle is also top-notch. One need only to hear the opening track "Venus Rising" to hear what I'm writing about--this album is an album full of potential top hit songs, but despite all the great production touches, if you strip all the music down to just Lee and a guitar, the songs are still excellently written tunes.

  • catchy, thought-provoking songwriting at it's best!
    author: joni farmer

    I bought a cd at a recent Lee Alexander Band show here in Houston...and midway through the show, I bought another cd to give as a gift. I ordered a cd through CD Baby to send to a friend out of state for her birthday as well. I haven't found a song I dislike on this album! I've got all of them uploaded to my mp3 player and the quality of the recording is so great that at first, I had to doublecheck the titles to figure out if I was listening to a veteran rocker or to Lee Alexander!! I can't choose a favorite song - I rock out to "Evergreen", sing along to "Waiting for Someday", groove to "My Sweet Addiction", crank up "Soul of America" and jam to "Venus Rising" and "Fallen" just gets me so emotional... well...you get the picture...there's not a bad song in this collection! Can't wait for the next live performance!!!

  • Loved it
    author: Juli Kring

    Great vocals, nice melodies, I could actually enjoy the lyrics !

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