South Floridians
know Rob Alexander as a well-regarded doctor, a faculty member at Florida
Atlantic University’s College of Medicine, and an all-around amiable man and
member of the community. Music fans have been getting to know him in an
entirely different way this year thanks to his debut album Long Road
Coming Home, which so far has spawned four singles, the most recent of which
being the title track. “Long Road Coming Home” capture’s the same good-natured
character that members of Rob’s family and community have always known him to
be, but in the most defiantly soulful way possible. His music is an
amalgamation of the softer side of classic rock and adult contemporary, and
alongside producer and multi-instrumentalist mastermind Gabe Lopez he unleashes
pure pop magic in this bitterly emotive gem.
Long Road Coming
Home is a very complex record, but its centerpiece title track is actually
one of its simpler and on-point offerings. It isn’t as sprawling and textured
as some of the other material on the album, but it’s by far the most riveting. Rob
croons tender words against a slow churning beat, each one of his lyrics
spilling through the speakers like immaculate paints onto a canvas. He’s got
every opportunity in the world to go over the top as he lumbers towards the
chorus, but he restrains himself, allowing for the song to go on at an even
tempo rather than suddenly flying off the rails. His discipline is something to
be marveled at, especially considering that we’ve been living in somewhat
reckless times for pop music.
Rob’s an amazing
singer and songwriter, but his harmonies are what grab my attention more than
anything else in this single. “Long Road Coming Home” isn’t particularly
elaborate, as previously stated, but what makes it so magnetically alluring is
its boldly orchestrated harmonies between Rob and the music. Gabe Lopez did a
fine job of cleaning up the track to make every nook and cranny of the verses
intoxicatingly inviting and earnest, and I think his work on this single is
just as attentive as the artist’s is. I seriously hope this is the first of
many collaborative adventures that they embark on together; they have awesome
chemistry in this song and throughout the entirety of Long Road Coming
Home.
I would love to
hear this track live, particularly in an acoustic setting with just Rob and a
guitar or a piano to assist him. He possesses a kind of raw skill that you
can’t teach in a school or practice into existence; it’s something that comes
naturally. He’s making the most of his abilities in this single, and I think
he’s definitely on the right trajectory towards accomplishing what he set out
to do with Long Road Coming Home in general. Singles, especially
early on, are crucial to getting an artist the exposure that’s required to
warrant making more than one album, and I think this one gives listeners a
full-fledged sampling of what they can expect out of Rob Alexander in his
future recordings.
Bethany Page
approved and posted by Mindy McCall
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