Ashley Alexander - Single/Video Review: Nicotine
Paraparaumu’s Ashley Alexander introduces his second single, Nicotine, a jazzy, slickly produced number accompanied by a delightful music video.
Following up from debut single Best Song, Nicotine builds on Ashley’s funky sound with a piano-centric arrangement featuring lush backing vocals and infectious beats. Ashley’s voice is a pleasantly familiar sounding one with a fantastic range, and his style overall is reminiscent of a more chilled out Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake.
Simple lyrics and strong imagery quickly expand into wonderfully rich harmonies, and it’s almost a full minute before the drums and bass drop into the song fully. The arrangement pulls back once more later on for Alexander to show off a powerful falsetto - this is a singer-songwriter who has a firm grasp on how best to showcase his own talent.
The video for Nicotine, funded by New Zealand On Air, is filmed almost entirely in a single room - a small theatre - and focuses mostly on a single older gentleman employee as he is inspired by the theatre’s performance and gradually brought to life by the music in him. Lighting and angles make the most of the venue, and the resulting clip is both captivating and charming, like the song itself.
Ashley Alexander’s third single, Lunar Phase is due for release in mid-November, along with a video, and his upcoming EP is planned for February 2020. With this soulful, feel-good sound, Alexander’s tunes are sure to be finding their way to your ears this summer. Nicotine is clever, snappy, and catchy, and well worth an add to your playlist.
About Ashley Alexander
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