{"id":35010,"date":"2013-11-26T07:29:13","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T12:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=35010"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:38:47","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:38:47","slug":"aleks-sever-danger-girl-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/aleks-sever-danger-girl-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aleks Sever | Danger Girl <\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"AleksThe more you have to say, the less notes you play. Aleks Sever proves this adage with knowing elegance on her debut instrumental album released last September. Each phrase she plays is poised at a high-strung distance from the next, and the result is tension \u2013 deliberately edgy and volatile. Add to this the snappy bite of Sever\u2019s clean-sounding tone, and you\u2019ll never know the guitarist is a woman before you see the album cover. <\/p>\n

This simple, muscular approach to fusion unblocks the power of the genre which these days finds itself in dire need of a shake-up. Sever delivers that and more, spicing her mixture of rock and jazz with tangy doses of blues, reggae, and even house music. Standout \u201cNightclub Art\u201d contrasts the guitar\u2019s punchy tone with the song-like melody, painting such an expansive picture, you become amazed how so few notes can transport you so far. <\/p>\n

Intense and sharply elegant on the more strident tracks, Sever shows a deeper side of her character when time comes for a ballad. On country-inspired \u201cStars\u201d she images picturesque dreamscapes so vividly, the track feels like a trip to the cinema. But then again, Sever is not only a guitar whiz but also an accomplished painter who started winning art competitions as early as 18. <\/p>\n

Stylish comping provided by sax, trumpet, trombone, and keys cushions Sever\u2019s leads with understated chic. No wonder \u2013 drummer Oscar Seaton played with Lionel Richie, and keyboardist Deron Johnson — with Miles. <\/p>\n

But with such transparent production even the softest, demurest things leave an imprint on the vibe of the record. A distinct player, Sever goes against today\u2019s conventions and arrives at edged clarity both in composition and production. She also refuses to compete in the chops rat race \u2013 despite being an extremely accomplished player. The result is a new voice and an instantly recognizable sound signature in the world of instrumental guitar. <\/p>\n

Genre: Fusion, Funk, Soul, Instrumental Guitar<\/p>\n

Personnel:
\nAlex Sever \u2013 guitar
\nOscar Seaton \u2013 drums
\nMelvin Lee Davis \u2013 bass
\nDeron Johnson \u2013 keys
\nJeff Young \u2013 organ
\nMitchel Forman \u2013 organ
\nBrandon Fields \u2013 sax
\nWalt Fowler \u2013 trumpet
\nNick Lane \u2013 trombone<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1. Showtime
\n2. Nightclub Art
\n3. Joker
\n4. Wild Love
\n5. Backstage
\n6. First Day
\n7. Danger Girl
\n8. City Rain
\n9. Silhouette
\n10. Stars<\/p>\n

Label: Self-released<\/p>\n

Online: www.alekssever.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai – Senior Columnist — The more you have to say, the less notes you play. Aleks Sever proves this adage with knowing elegance on her debut instrumental album released last September. Each […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":35011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[2317,6100,7091,4954,6098],"class_list":{"0":"post-35010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-funk","10":"tag-fusion","11":"tag-instrumental-guitar","12":"tag-soul"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}