Arthur Alexander is a long time musician but this is his debut album under his own name. The former member of The Poppees and Sorrow had many past successes with those bands before moving into the production side of music but now is looking to make a splash once again.

The album “One Bar Left” leaves a lot of questions as it is a shapeshifting album that is difficult to pin down. Alexander’s power-pop background shines through a lot. You can hear the crunch of the guitars and desire for lofty hooks on almost every song. The album is loose and sound like Alexander and company are having lots of fun. On the opening song “One Bar Left” you’ll find a punk approach as guitar licks ring out and the lyrics are spit out as fast as anywhere on the album, even at one point dropping a “wham bam thank you ma’am” during the song. On the tongue in cheek “Wang Dang Doodle” the you’ll hear one of the best hooks here and the song’s sing-along chorus sticks with you. It’s goofy and fun, as much of the record is. On “Mary Lou Mary Lou” you can hear what sounds like some Huey Lewis and the News influence on the very 80s sounding track. There’s a Sam Cooke cover of “Bring It On Home To Me” that is muscled up a bit but still delivered as a bit of a slow jam for a rock record.

The album sounds like a good bar band jamming out for much of it, it’s never imposing and gives you a wide shot of influences all in one place.

Key Tracks: “One Bar Left” “(She Got Me) Wang Dang Doodle”