Begin Again is Alex Montanez’s debut recording, and it represents an album that will stick with listeners long after it spins to a close. Listeners only need to focus on just a few seconds of Superman to understand this; the honest and earnest style cultivated on this EP is unheard of in current music. The singer / songwriter genre is jam-packed with artists, making it difficult for a performer to be heard. Montanez is able to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack by creating innovative arrangements and larger than life vocal stylings.
I believe that the creative process at play during the creation of Begin Again deserves further delving; the tracks on the album were recorded over the space of five years. Where this would typically mean that the resulting disc is muddled and lost, I feel that Montanez is able to showcase his evolution as an artist. While the emotional intensity of Routine Lullaby immediately tugs at listeners’ heartstrings, Light Bulb showcases a greater focus on the overall finish and feel of the track. Taken together, these tracks provide listeners with considerable information about where Montanez has been and will go as a musician. The connecting thread here has to be an everyman appeal, where Montanez speaks equally well to anyone listening in.
Check out Begin Again at your earliest opportunity; Montanez is currently offering the release for download free from his website. Make sure to check out Montanez’s schedule for any upcoming live dates. Begin Again is a stellar debut, and I would love to see (and hear) where Montanez goes in the months and years to come. I will be utterly contented if future titles continue this bold and confident (yet human) approach.
Top Tracks: Future On Fire, Superman
Rating: 8.4/10
Alex Montanez – Begin Again (CD) / 2012 Self / http://www.reverbnation.com/alexmontanez
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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