Rob Alexander – All That’s Mine is Yours (single)
CD BABY: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/robalexander1
The glistening golden notes of a keyboard pepper an otherwise empty soundscape of shapeless melody and rhythm that doesn’t have a direction. We’re drifting in space, weightless and hypnotized by the awe-inspiring lights and colors of the unknown universe around us. Suddenly there’s a voice; we realize that we aren’t alone out here in the nothing. We’re in the orbit of Rob Alexander’s planet of emotion, and by the time that he finishes the first verse of “All That’s Mine is Yours” (the third single from Long Road Coming Home, his first official studio album), any question as to whether or not we’re in safe hands on this intergalactic journey is answered with a resounding yes that comes in the form of gorgeous musical harmony.
Alexander croons “I’m not alone, I’m in control, to feel alive, it’s in my soul,” and in his voice we get a glimpse of the kaleidoscopic dreams that he’s been living to see come true. There’s pain in his lyrics, but also a whole lot of optimism that was the fuel that got him this far in life. The piano dances between the words with a sensuous confidence that can’t help but make us feel like we’re connecting with Alexander on a very deep level. This connection is amplified in a sumptuous saxophone solo that ties the first act of the song together with the second with an evocative progressiveness that is very innovative for this style of pop music.
Half way through the song, it feels like the volume is turned up significantly, but upon further inspection I discovered that it’s because the backing band around Alexander comes to life in tandem around this point of the track. The tension that builds up little by little through the first two minutes of play is released in a series of fiery exclamations that quake the very ground beneath our feet with their thunderous bottom end, and we become powerless to avoid the suction from the whirlpool that has just taken shape right in front of us. To say that Rob Alexander isn’t a calculated composer wouldn’t just be a lie, it would be downright disrespectful to his persona as an artist and a performer.
“All That’s Mine is Yours” comes to an almost ethereal conclusion, slipping away into the mists from which it emerged from like a thief in the night, and resisting the urge to instantly replay this song after hearing it for the first time is next to impossible. I’ve listened to this single at least two dozen times since its debut and I’ve yet to walk away with the same interpretation of its lyrics, melody or style of presentation twice. I could spend a lot of time trying to describe to you just how relevant and substantially thought-provoking Rob Alexander’s music is and try and sell you on why I think he’s one of the most intriguing young figures in all of pop music today, or I could simply tell you the god’s honest truth; “All That’s Mine is Yours” is a powerful, inventive composition and required listening for anyone who considers themselves a true pop music enthusiast.
ALL MUSIC: https://www.allmusic.com/album/long-road-coming-home-mw0003173208
Jamie Morse