REVIEW: Rob Alexander — The Soul or the Skin (SINGLE)
Undeniable soul and passion drive the new single from South Florida heartthrob Rob Alexander, “The Soul or the Skin,” but its searing vocal melodies are arguably its most charming quality. Fresh from his studio sessions for the upcoming album Young Man’s Eyes, Alexander is committed to getting this summer into the right groove, and he does as much with the release of this charismatic rock anthem, which puts all of the emphasis on a spellbinding serenade that will almost certainly leave you breathless. I had the pleasure of examining the song before and again after its official release and was more than pleased with the caliber of content that it contained in a mere three-point-five minutes of play that can only be described as stunning, graceful, and supremely effective.
“The Soul or the Skin” benefits from a mix that I would consider to be more on the cerebral side than the majority of what you’ll hear out of mainstream indie rock this year, but its airy feel doesn’t make its design feel experimental or ambient. This isn’t background music by any stretch of your imagination; its thoughtful, engaging lyricism wrapped in a sly melody that provokes an instant reaction out of anyone within earshot of its reverberations. The emotion is off the charts, and while I don’t have the same commanding grasp of the pop model that he does, there’s no need for assistance when it comes to understanding what he’s trying to communicate.
Raw sexuality is met with a self-consciousness that is humble and accessible to people of all backgrounds and creeds here; if pushed, I would say that this is Rob Alexander at his most transcendent to date.
The lyrics are executed smoothly in this single, contrasting somewhat with the rigidly crafted percussion, which penetrates the central hook with its mechanical grind. It’s not that the drums create some sort of negative conflict in the grander scheme of things; in fact, quite the contrary. I think that without the juxtaposition of the full-color poetry and coarse nuances in the percussion, “The Soul or the Skin” might not be as captivating as it ultimately is. In this sense, Rob Alexander is well ahead of his scene in terms of adapting to progressive songwriting concepts and yielding a sound that is truly his own in every way, shape, and form.
This latest offering from Rob Alexander is unquestionably a stylish soft rock crossover tune that anyone who appreciates a molten hot melody will enjoy. “The Soul or the Skin” doesn’t ask anything in return for the rewarding, tension-releasing swing that it imparts to us so liberally, and I think that this song will elevate the level of attention surrounding Alexander’s music to even greater heights than it was already at. He has an incredible amount of momentum behind him, and in the lead-up to Young Man’s Eyes, he’s giving us plenty of convincing reasons to believe in his brand. The year still has a lot of gas left in it, but “The Soul or the Skin” is an undisputed standout single that we’ll likely be talking about long into those lazy summer nights that require a soundtrack of its surreal, infectious swagger.
Colin Jordan
