ALEXIS GERRED
The Debut Album
(Power & Purpose Records)
Review by Mike O’Cull, independent music journalist. www.mikeocull.com
Alexis Gerred is a well-known face to many TV and theater fans in the U.K. as a star in American Idiot, Our House, and Dreamboats & Petticoats, as well as a semi-finalist on the BBC’s popular show Let It Shine. He is now about to let the world hear his original music with a new release, The Debut Album, on Power & Purpose Records. It will be released on October 26, 2018, and can be pre-ordered right now on iTunes. The record is a collection of highly melodic and emotional pop/rock tracks that shows Gerred to be a better-than-most vocalist and songwriter with a knack for creating radio-ready gems one after another.
Gerred wrote all the songs here himself and displays a mixed bag of influences ranging from Goo Goo Dolls, Train, and Gavin DeGraw to Queen, Rod Stewart, and U2. His expressive and clear tenor voice is the connective tissue that holds the album together. Gerred is a pop singer in the classic sense, able to soar above the band and make listeners actually feel something. Songs like “Sweet Angel,” which has a U2-like texture but develops its melody in a more modern way, and the delicate acoustic ballad “Hold You Close” are instantly appealing and memorable, as is “Rule The World,” which features special guest vocalist Danielle Steers. The duet is dramatic and uplifting, with just enough of an 80s-rock-radio sensibility to tug at the heartstrings properly. Production on the tracks is glorious all the way through, especially the guitar and vocal sounds.
Gerred is able to stand on the shoulders of his influences and uses them to create his own musical style and space, never becoming an imitator. He uses this set of music to show us who he really is, not just what role he is performing, and his authenticity is refreshing. If you think you already know what Alexis Gerred is all about, you might want to think again. Highly recommended, this one. Buy it as soon as possible.
Official Website: http://alexisgerred.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexisgerred?lang=en
