Single Review: Alex Clare – War Rages On
2 min read
British singer-songwriter Alex Clare has dropped first single War Rages On from his upcoming album Three Hearts. After learning his trade on open-mic nights in London, Clare signed to Island Records after sending in a demo, and released his debut studio album The Lateness of the Hour in 2011. This release gained critical success in the UK charts, getting as high as number 17 for a short period, and even to number 8 in Germany. After various different musical explorations in the past few years, including performing with Gary Barlow and Joss Stone, Clare has found himself focused back on his own music, with War Rages On the first taste of what is to come.
The single begins with a lowly staccato piano riff, before bursting into life with an almost dance-fuelled drum beat. Clare’s vocals kick in and lend themselves well to this particular dance-pop genre, especially as the big chorus comes into play. The music doesn’t change as much as you’d like, but the vocals are definitely turned up a gear. Aside from a small breakdown and a change of dynamics, including some interesting work on the drums, the single generally play out in a fairly repetitive fashion.
Yes, Clare’s vocals are impressive, but the music he accompanies doesn’t reach the same standards. No doubt this tune will work well on the club scene – you can definitely picture crowds of club-goers waving their arms in the air to this one, so in that market it will be most likely be a success. For those wanting a little more of an interesting listening experience, this one may not be it.
