Alex Vargas
Album: Howl
Label: Tiger Music
Tracks: 8
Website: http://www.alexvargas.com

Having made quite a bit of noise a few years ago fronting nearly-did outfit Vagabond, Danish singer songwriter Alex Vargas has rethought it all and returned with his debut solo outing, the largely acoustic mini-album Howl.

Rid of Vagabond's shiny soul-rock sheen, Vargas' voice can take centre stage and begin to live up to the comparisons it has previously drawn to blue-eyed soul greats like Stevie Winwood and Robert Palmer. If anything his voice is now stretching beyond any restrictions imposed by such appraisals as he reaches up and down the register, clearly shooting for the intensity of Jeff Buckley territory by expanding his vocal range and calling on his voice to express more complex emotions.

All of which is perhaps most fully realised on the title track with its rasping guitar and fleet-footed vocals. Listening is an almost voyeuristic experience as Vargas appears to prod his own feelings in search of meaning, making sense of the mystery. Equally, Lay Your Heart pleas with its subject to open up and trust the singer, but there's a sense the entreaty is in vain.

There are times - the aptly bleak Wasteland and the Soundcloud hit version of Calvin Harris' Sweet Nothing - when the vocal ticks border on the histrionic, as if Vargas is a little too keen to show us what he's got in his pipes. Perhaps this works to an audience that has grown up with reality show pop stars who get 90 seconds to impress, but this music warrants more careful consideration. As ever, less is more and there's undoubtedly more to come. For now though, Howl stands as a very promising first record.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk