Cornish singer-songwriter Alex Robertson picks up his 12-string and envelops space. In his second single, “Secret”, he narrates the emotional journey of two people losing trust in each other. For three minutes and fourteen seconds, the world is only these two characters.
“I was no good for you,” his voice quavers, “but what else was I supposed to do?” Intimate and honest, the lyrics resonate like personal anecdotes and introspective realizations. “I’ve been serving the queen with her broken crown.”
Moments of heavy vibrato punctuate his vocal lines, a waffling between two states, consonance and dissonance. Forlorn and yet still undiminished, the lines capture the souring relationship with poetic authenticity.
But words alone don’t tell a story. Alex Robertson smoothly layers lyrics with complex picking, building a rhythmic bed of resonating notes, loose chords, and harmonics. The guitar sings as much as he does.
When the emotional build becomes almost unbearable, the music gives you a moment to breathe with narcotizing falsetto “oohs.” Step back and observe, it beckons. Even in emotional exhaustion, “Secret” wears its heart on its sleeve.
Stream “Secret” below.
Ben is an advertising Madman who spends his days with words and music. When he’s not writing for his supper, he’s eating it at some of NYC’s most interesting restaurants.
