Alex Lopez – Yours Truly, Me…
Maremil Music
12 songs time – 44:25
Tampa, Florida by way of Cleveland, Ohio singer-guitarist Alex Lopez and his partners in crime deliver his fourth CD that fuses blues-rock, pop, rock and a touch of funk to produce some radio friendly songs featuring his smooth voice. He’s backed here by bass, drums, keyboards, horns and a female duet partner on one track. All save one song are originals. The production by Lopez and associate producer Frank Calcaterra is clean and somewhat on the slick side.
The funky pop oriented and lightweight “Woe Is Me” more or less tips the listener off of what to expect down the road. Alex delivers a nice Eric Clapton-meets-Carlos Santana guitar solo set against Kenny Hoye’s organ. They rework Z.Z. Top’s “Tush” in funky style with Alex ripping off some sizzling guitar. “Take Me Back Home” brings Ricky Nelson’s sound into the more rocked-up present. The organ rocks out here as well.
“I’m A Working Man” and “I’m A Losing It” are straight ahead rockers. More mellow rock is represented by “I Can’t Stop”. The trio of pop ballads- “I Love You Blues”, “I Will Miss You” and “Chase My Blues Away” run the gamut from sappy to less sappy. “All I Really Want Is You” is a borderline ballad-light rocker with a great organ sound. Ellie Carr lends her sultry pipes to the duet “Sinful”. Alex compliments the vibe with his clean guitar notes. The album closer “Cheating Blues” utilizes the horn section to invigorate the pulsing beat alongside more tasty organ.
Their are rock radio stations out there waiting for this stuff. The combination of sentimentality and well arranged rockers are set to please those looking for a balance of smooth rocking tunes and gentler pop driven songs. If this type of sound appeals to you, you’ve arrived at the right place. After all variety is the spice of life so they say.
