Mark Alexander - As I Wait For You

Hear The Track Here

Second time around for MP3 Unsigned artist, Mark Alexander, who - when I reviewed his After The Rain last month - I definitely took a shine to. Although he has a distinct American taste in music, the way its put together kinda blurs the lines enough to enjoy as a good, well performed song. Put it like this, it got a Recommended from me, and I don't hand those out with the painkillers. It has to be said that you would have to like the whole singer/songwriter in rock thing if you really wanted to appreciate what this artist is all about, but there is enough interest in this genre to sustain him for the time being...

I can't put my hand on my heart and say that As I Wait For You made the intital impression on me that After The Rain did. Matter of fact, the first time I heard it I thought it was a bit overblown (especially in the lead guitar lines which seemed to overstep the track more times than it added to it. Uh oh! AM I in a bitchy mode, or wot?? Still, I can only say what I really think right? After I lived with it for a while, I got over the disappointment of not hearing something with the class of After The Rain, and actually started to get into it - in a very classic/retro rock kinda way.

Pretty much lead line driven, As I Wait For You SHOULD work, and work like gangbusters but something just misses the mark. I don't know whether that's down to the kinda ploddy beat, the arrangement or mix but something defintely isn't happening here. To be sure, it would make a good album filler, especially with all that 'guitar god' lead posturing but not something I feel would entice new listeners to explore further. Especially if you already had a jaundiced view of the whole contemporary acoustic genre. Funny thing is that I don't have that view and I DO like music of this type but even so as much as I liked the different elements that make up this song, it didn't touch me in any way as a wholly realised song. Professional sounding? Oooh yeeesss. No glaring errors? Oooohh yeeessss. So why doesn't it hit home then?

Answers on a used banknote please.