Alex Otey shines bright on his conceptually diverse EP, "Signs"
Review by Austin Sher
Released less than a month ago on August 9th, 2020, Alex Otey has put forth his conceptually diverse new EP, Signs. What a record! Read along with us as we break down our thoughts on the music, as well as background and insight on the artist himself.
SIGNS is the latest release by singer-songwriter/producer Alex Otey. Otey has recorded on a number of released works, including the GRAMMY® Nominated 'Fitness Rock & Roll' album, which he produced, and the GRAMMY® Winning 'All About Bullies Big And Small', for which he was a participating arranger/artist. Otey was also a participating artist on a third GRAMMY® Nominated project, 'Healthy Food For Thought' and has won various other awards for his music writing and performing over the years.
In addition to his own work, Alex also produces music in multiple genres such as Americana, Country Jazz and Classical recordings for artists, such as: Miss Amy, Orlando Otey, Leonardo Le San, Richie Cole and Chuck Schaeffer. Otey has performed with a number of prominent jazz musicians including Lew Soloff, Sonny Stitt, played lead trumpet with Richie Cole, and recorded with Grover Washington Jr. on the Skylarking album. This latest recording, Signs, is an introspective, upbeat Americana-Rock style album written and performed by Alex Otey and includes: singer Amy Otey, guitarist James Popik, bassist Chris Clark, and drummer Ryan Ross.
Coming in at a runtime of 25 minutes across 6 wonderful tracks, Alex seriously impressed us with this EP. Anything that comes our way with such diverse instrumentation, song lyrics, and stellar vocals makes it all the easier to write about. Personally speaking, the horns section throughout Signs was a definite plus and complemented nearly every moment.
Whenever an artist comes our way who has vast experience in production, our standards tend to rise a bit. The reason being here is that they know what they’re supposed to be hearing and really how to make it work, so when we got to the end of the EP, our impressions were beyond exceeded. The standouts here as mentioned were obviously the eclectic mix of instruments used, but we have to give mention to Alex’s vocal delivery. He knocked it out of the park! Different types of voices can fit different genres of music, but in this case, Otey’s delivery really tied everything together quite nicely. The more we’ve been listening, the better everything has gotten.
While this was our first foray into the music of Alex Otey, we plan to listen to his back catalog and all things that he’s had in creating. By the looks of it, he’s experienced and built quite the illustrious career for himself. With that being said, stop reading and start listening!
For all things Alex Otey, to listen to Signs, and to keep up with all future releases, please check out the following links below.
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