Alex Roberts is a musician whose musical compass points to each degree. It is hard to define where Roberts' sound comes from, but it is unmistakably his sound. John Renbourn remarked that "...Alex plays bloody wonderfully...", and his guitar playing certainly lives up to the accolade; seamlessly traversing genres from baroque to blues, in a host of alternate tunings and with the occasional turn to the lap-steel or lute.

Exemplified in Train To Midnight - which features on his debut album Giant Killer Session - is Roberts' effortlessness with the guitar and with truly innovative techniques. See this performed live and it'll drop your jaw to the floor.

Yet Roberts' motivation seems to come from elsewhere. It is not his outstanding musicianship that is driving him, but something more subtle. The timeless nature of Roberts' musical charm provides the perfect vehicle for expressing his lyrical musings. What's driving this artist is the song. In the fashion of the troubadour or bard Roberts crafts stories, love songs, ballads, spriritual insights, or protests into a mesmerising web of song.

"Think Damien Rice, Nick Drake, and a little Bob Dylan...
Roberts' voice is soothing yet full."
Acoustic

Whether invoking an easy going "beach in Goa" vibe as in Slow Living, making poignant comment on the power of the sea as in Man Of Little Words, even campaigning for endangered species' in Elephant Song, Roberts' writing is of subtle yet powerful intent, and engages the listener with a rapturous allure. The vocal lines ebb and flow with ease around elegant and refined guitar parts and the result is an uplifting and wholesome symbiosis of the voice and guitar.

"Indeed, each tune is more like a holiday
and often leaves you feeling lighter
and refreshed as it passes "
Reel Sound Music

By The Ley is Roberts' follow-up to the Giant Killer Session. It is an album of great charm and charisma. The guitar playing on this album is understated at times, but then at others it is of an advanced fingerstyle technique that sits subtly beneath Alex's lyrical weaving. The instrumentation has been expanded on this latest album, with more of Roberts' musicianship coming to light with lap-steel and a variety of percussive toys to boot.

As with his debut, there are a variety of influences and genres crossed and cultivated on this recording, but one feels there is more coherence to this latest offering. There is an unmistakable thread to this album, and that thread is the voice of a songwriter with clear purpose and intention. From the delicate harmonics of 'Beachy Head Chimes', or the thwarted and gravelly protest of 'Down To The Square', to the poetic travelogue of its title track, 'By The Ley' is a work that will age well and keep you in good company.

However it is on stage that Roberts is best appreciated. A comfortable and engaging performer he is quickly becoming known as an act not to miss and a hard one to follow. Audience numbers are steadily rising, and this year's offering of By The Ley seems destined to bring Roberts' music to the wider audience he deserves.

The tracks currently available to download for free from www.alexrobertsmusic.co.uk are a selection of travelogues and stories written by Roberts last year whilst living in a tepee in the south of England. They are due to be compiled as part of his third album entitled Warm Hearts and Wintry Moons for release later this year.

Other bits about Alex Roberts:
"As soulful as Kelly Joe Phelps" - Seth Lakeman
"Alex plays bloody wonderfully" - John Renboun
In review of the Giant Killer Session Acoustic Magazine said:
"This album is a real beauty. Think Damien Rice, Nick Drake, and a little Bob Dylan and what you have is Giant Killer Session. Roberts' voice is soothing yet full and the instrumentation is simple, but very well recorded. The songs make for beautiful soundscapes and evoke images of sun drenched wheat fields and beaches turning golden by the falling sun. Roberts uses a whole host of altered and drop tunings but the really clever bit is his development of melody as set against sometimes sparse arpeggios. If you are into any of the aforementioned artists, you'll love this album - it's one of this year's best kept secrets" (Steve Harvey - Acoustic - July 2007).

In review of the Giant Killer Session Catherine Burke of BHONE and Bournemouth Folk Club said: "Having already been won over by his performances this album was everything I had hoped. It is very easy and all too tempting for solo singer-songwriters to be seduced by the production capabilities of a recording studio and go over the top with extra instrumentation and effects, resulting in an album very different to the live sound. This is certainly not the case with Alex Roberts. With only the tasteful addition of guitar, lap steel and ukulele on three tracks, all played by Kev Walker, an acoustic and pure sound is achieved representative of Alex's live performances.

Alex's guitar playing is outstanding: he uses a range of tunings effectively and varies the style and tempo of the material. He has used his classical background and folk influences to create his own very confident and original style of guitar playing. This is apparent throughout the album and exemplified in particular on final track 'Train to Midnight', in which he taps percussively on top of the strings with his right hand and manages to produce a range of (seemingly impossible) octave harmonics. This sounds fantastic on the recording, but is even better to watch him produce live.

It is clear that Alex uses his original and excellent (the word 'virtuoso' gets bandied around too readily these days) guitar techniques as the basis for his song writing. He is a compelling songwriter who draws his melodies and textures from his playing. The song 'Embers of Sun' has touches of Bert Jansch from early Pentangle days. This song in particular, along with the song 'Some Are Like Trees' sounds almost like a harpsichord merging baroque or medieval music with contemporary folk.

My particular favourite song of the album has to be 'Song For Lucy' which I can't help skipping back to every time I hear it. This song has a simple chord sequence with a very catchy guitar hook over the top. It's a beautiful song with gentle and honest lyrics telling a good story. This is an instantly infectious song that you'll find echoing around, firmly stuck in your head, hours later.

Another favourite of mine on this album is the atmospherically evocative opener 'Man of Little Words'. This track totally fascinates me. I can't make out any of the lyrics and yet the song gives me pleasure throughout, both from the intricate fingerstyle guitar picking and from the dreamy texture of the vocals.

Alex has a gentle yet gritty (dare I say sexy?!) timbre to his voice. He is wistful and tender and breathes out his words effortlessly despite sometimes wavering around the pitch (perhaps intentionally). Although his guitar playing varies in style and tempo throughout the album, there is not much change in the delivery of the vocals and could perhaps benefit in more changes in dynamics.

If I'm to be fussy, Alex's delivery of lyrics is not always clear enough to make out what he is trying to say. Although his sleevenotes (in true folk style) give good background information on tunings and how the songs were inspired, I would prefer to also have the lyrics included. It is also slightly frustrating/confusing that the sleevenotes are in a different order to the CD running order. That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album and will continue to do so. With his eloquent lyrics (those that I can hear) conjuring up great visually imagery and his exemplary and original guitar playing, Alex Roberts' 'Giant Killer Session' has not strayed far from my CD player since I received it.

If you like contemporary mellow folk, singer-songwriters, or if you play the guitar and you are yet to experience the joy of Alex Roberts, you must listen to this album. He is a gifted songwriter and it easy to see why he is held in such high regard amongst other musicians delivering with true ease and flow that has helped cement his reputation. If you have watched Alex perform and you liked it, this album will not disappoint."