Rob Alexander – Back to the Radio
South Florida based singer/songwriter Rob Alexander proves he’s gifted on a level shared by few with the release of “Back to the Radio”, a single from his collection Long Road Coming Home. The track and album are produced by renowned board magician Gabe Lopez; in tandem, these two musical imaginations shape “Back to the Radio” in a compelling way that listeners will latch onto while showing off idiosyncratic shades that mark the tune as his own rather than something imitative. Alexander’s medical career as a successful anesthesiologist working out of the South Florida area and his role as an educator for future medical professionals shows there are depths to this singer and performer shared by few in the music world today. Based on this song alone, Long Road Coming Home promises to be one of 2018’s more affecting musical experiences.
“Back to the Radio” has the cool, simmering stride of the mature and fully realized AOR rock song. Rob Alexander’s confidence is superficially surprising considering his long standing focus on a medical career over the musical and some of that may be explained by Gabe Lopez’s steadying presence on the recording of the single and album. It’s likely more explained by the presence of Alexander’s innate talents rather than attributable to any outside force. His songwriting is impressive in every way. The construction of “Back to the Radio” is arch-traditional, yet the spirit of the song is infused with the unique presence of a charisma all Alexander’s own rather than relying on imitation to win over listeners. It makes this song a classic example of pouring old wine into new bottles if nothing else. Alexander doesn’t sound like a newcomer; instead, he sounds like an experienced professional and an artist putting his hand to his finest work thus far.
The classic rock leanings of the song, bringing guitar, bass, and drums together, are arranged in a pop inspired fashion focusing more on melody than pure rock muscle. It has a dramatic edge, however, that Alexander’s profoundly emotive voice capitalizes on and backs off at all the right places to make for a more nuanced performance. “Back to the Radio” recalls songs from an earlier era, particularly the late eighties and nineties, but it doesn’t sound like some inert tribute to a bygone era, but rather like Alexander has adopted a vehicle whose possibilities aren’t yet exhausted to best embody the sound he hears in his head. Rob Alexander’s “Back to the Radio” is the first song from Long Road Coming Home and represents him coming out of his corner with the impassioned energy of an artist unleashed at last. It’s a condensed, orchestrated performance that hits all the right notes and promises much about the quality to come hearing Long Road Coming Home in full. It shows off an artist who deserves to be heard far and wide.
YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/channel/UCjsR5vSRwZU3THa6YH2nXbQ
Clay Burton