Alpha
Stargazing (Special Edition) (Nettwerk)
by Tim Den
While Alpha‘s last offering, ’01’s The Impossible Thrill, made quite an impression on my then-hunger for chill-out vintage lounge, it did not age as well as I thought it would. With repeated listens, the songs seem to fall apart at the seams, with components floating in separate directions and the whole a sprawled out mess (however beautiful the mess). With their latest, however, the group has pulled it together. Stargazing (Special Edition) has cohesion and a slow-burning eroticism as well as Alpha’s trademark ’70s AM gold popcraft, capturing both the Bacharachian mood as well as the songs.
But, as always, the other singers shine though, particularly Martin Barnard, whose contributions highlight Stargazing (Special Edition) with puppy-eyed charm (“Lipstick From the Asylum” and “Saturn in Rain” are two of the album’s best). Let’s not forget mainstay Helen White either, who turns in the most ice-melting performance with “Blue Autumn.”
All in all, Stargazing (Special Edition) sees Alpha redeem their worth by showing that, not only can they emulate an era’s sound and feel, they can pen the tunes as well.
(8730 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 304 Beverly Hills, CA 90211)