Rob Alexander has been setting a high standard for both himself and the scene he was born of with the last three singles he’s released from the new album Being Myself, but in his latest, the taut “This Hollywood Road,” he gets down and dirty with rock n’ roll aesthetics he’d never experimented with in the past. An emerging generation of pop-rockers are starting to influence the direction of the genre as a whole, but on the underground side of the spectrum, this is one player whose work is becoming increasingly difficult for even the most rigid of sceptics to ignore.
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The compositional framework here is stylish and cool without a doubt, but there’s not a lot of the same self-righteousness that contemporaries of Alexander would just as soon be bringing into the recording studio with them. For the most part, this is an artist who stays pretty toned-down even at his most explosive, and in “This Hollywood Road,” I think his performance feels especially unique because of how vulnerable and carefree his entire persona is in comparison to previous efforts. He’s never been reticent towards the rhythmic catharsis of a big hook, but it’s simply on a different level in this single.
Being Myself is somewhat genre bending in that it doesn’t stick to a fluid pop script in favor of avoiding any of the potential hazards that come with entering uncharted waters, and in essence, I think “This Hollywood Road” is probably the biggest leap of faith Alexander takes in the tracklist. He’s always had a couple of rock tones in his sound, but never an actual rock song to boast in a live performance. This stands to become a staple of any stage show he decides to give between now and the next album he drops, if not a long-term favorite of critics and fans alike.
Pop music has been really hungry of a singer/songwriter of Rob Alexander’s style for a while, but I think he’s been wise to stay out of the mainstream politics that have plagued so many of his closest rivals in their own transition from the underground market into the bright lights of the big time. His humble attitude has kept him out of trouble for a few years now, and judging from the overall tone of “This Hollywood Road” (and the song’s lyrical narrative in particular), I think it’s something we can expect him to maintain through the foreseeable future.
I can’t speak for everyone else reviewing this track over the summer, but if you ask me, I think that “This Hollywood Road” feels like a song that could breakout Rob Alexander’s music in a way that he had only dreamed of prior to pressing the first few copies of Being Myself. He’s had quite a journey, but his artistic travels are far from over – he needs to continue boiling down the pop aesthetic here as much as he can to perfect and a lean, hook-oriented flow to his songwriting. If he keeps his nose to the grindstone and sets “This Hollywood Road” as his new standard, this could become his regular, full-time job before he knows it.
Troy Johnston