Alex Giordani’s album “Shades of Morning Light” provides an eclectic glimpse into the Italian artist’s world of vocal-driven songwriting. Released in November of 2019, the fifteen-track album traverses a wide range of genres with a particular foundation in rock and alternative. The opening track, “Mesmerized, “features a grunge guitar riff and a ballad-style vocal which establishes a contemplative mood that carries through the entire album. Songs such as “You Can’t Love Anyone” and “Never Let You Cry” strike a similar tone: both tracks present subtle beds of piano and reverberated guitar which softly support Giordani’s vocals. Other songs off the album showcase Giordani’s ability to bend genres and integrate diverse instrumentation into his compositions. For example, Giordani’s track, “A Life in Wonderland” sits somewhere between the alternative and electronic realm. The song, like most of Giordani’s compositions on the album, features his vocals as the focal point of the track, but Giordani also incorporates an electronic drum kit, saw wave synthesizer leads, delicate electric guitar, and electronic plucks. Giordani achieves similar results melding alternative with electronic in both “Nowhere Land” and “Don’t Save Me.” For Giordani, the linking component between all of his work seems to be his vocals, which take precedence over every other component in the track.
Giordani frequently explores themes of lost love, nostalgia, and imperfection in his songs. Perhaps his greatest strength as an artist, which comes across on this album, is his ability to be vulnerable. While Giorodani’s vocal timing and sense of pacing is not always perfect, his songs feel consistently sincere. On a particularly notable song, “It Can’t be Perfect,” Giordani sings about accepting losing someone you love and embracing that life “won’t be perfect” afterwards. Throughout the song, Giordani’s voice feels energetic and simultaneously genuine. Likewise, my favorite track on the album, “What I need” maintains that same standard of honesty. Giordani’s pre-chorus strikes a particularly moving tone, “I hope that I can turn back time / I hope that my dreams don’t lie / and the angels fly.” While the lyrics may not be the most original, you get the sense that Giordani truly means what he is saying, and that is what matters most.
Going forward, if Giordani leans into the style he has developed in his more upbeat records such as “Out of the Crowd,” and “It Must Have Been You”, I think he will find continued success across Italy and beyond. We look forward to what he has store for us in the future!
Written by Brennan White