SEA/SONS [Gold & Clear Splatter]

Co-produced by Alexander with the help of several folks including Matt Pence and Brad Cook, the album is a lush, seductive affair that showcases the 31-year-old singer-songwriter’s beguiling voice —

one which offers both honey and grit— and supple acoustic guitar work. The 11 tracks on SEA/SONS display a cool assuredness even as the songs themselves play with themes of loss, redemption, longing, anguish, and joy informed by a complex life of love and pain. There is a refreshing genre fluidity at play as elements of folk, pop, rock, R&B, gospel, and even electronic music meld and tangle. Ineffable backing vocals, sparse but rich arrangements, and a sense of emotional purpose draw the musical threads together into a cohesive whole that is simultaneously warm and cool.