Known for his sincere, heart-on-his-sleeve lyrical sentiments, California singer/songwriter Alex Warren cracked the European, British, and Australasian markets with a series of rousing 2024 singles that helped push his debut EP, that Septembers Youll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1), to the top of the charts abroad. It eventually landed in the U.S Top 20 with help from the international smash "Ordinary," a song released in early 2025 and added to the digital version of the EP. Released a few months later, Warrens debut album, the 21-song Youll Be Alright, Kid, adds "Ordinary" and another ten songs to the EP while remaining loyal to a commercially successful formula of earthy arrangements reinforced with atmospheric electronics, soaring climaxes (some with choirs), and a relentless, sometimes maudlin earnestness rooted in what his legions of social-media followers know to be real loss, grief, and uncertainty. Featuring duets with ROSE and Jelly Roll, and with pop-rapper/producer Ryan Lewis among the songwriting team of the anthemic "You Cant Stop This," the album returned Warren to the top of the charts in places like the U.K. and Norway while propelling him into the Top Five of the Billboard 200. ~ Marcy Donelson
Rovi
Ordinaryのヒットで世界を制覇した米SNSスター/シンガーの初フル・アルバム。すでに全英1位/全米5位と絶好調。アダム・ヤロンとの共作・プロデュースによる楽曲は、ホージアからマムフォード&サンズ、マックルモアまでの影響が聴こえるが、最大の魅力は彼の意気揚々とした真摯な歌だ。カントリー界を席巻中のジェリー・ロール、BLACKPINKのロゼも参戦する。
bounce (C)村上ひさし
タワーレコード(vol.501(2025年8月25日発行号)掲載)