Myke Jackson, the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist/wunderkind for Huntsville, Alabama, under-legends Felt, separates himself from their heavy, bluesy, melodic psych with this 1975 one-man-band solo album, four years after Felt’s lone self-titled effort. Alone is a breathtaking, moving album of lyrically wise and introspective—fully displayed by the included lyric sheet—Beatlesque SSW pop tugging at the soft edges of power pop. The album also offers considerably more guitar heroics than you find on such albums, all executed with taste and advanced skill by the then 21-year-old.
The only righteously rollicking rocker on the set, opener “In Search of Home,” is a poetically spiritual journey with a blazing guitar solo tipping a hat to SF ballroom bands like QMS, replete with a double-tracked chorus of guitars, and the mid-tempo “A Theme” strikes close to the mellow moments of Badfinger or Todd Rundgren as a slice of stunning sublime, while “Lost On A Wave,” pulses with its minor lounge-rock vibes awash in Mellotron and groovy ARP synths. Though, the core of this sweet delight sits in a McCartney (the mellow, majestic folk-pop of “Let Me Be A Part of You”) and Emitt Rhodes (“We’ve Got A New Love,” which should lyrically hit home for anyone who’s devoted their life to music) mode led by piano, seasoned with doses of Mellotron.
Alone is a truly brilliant set of music, striking the sweet spot of sounds that I seek, and recommended to anyone with an interest in the aforementioned artists, or under-appreciated geniuses like Eddie Callahan, Richard Orange (Zuider Zee , Thomas Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band), or Ryan Trevor.
(This edition adds two bonus tracks from 1970 and 1973, respectively, that slot in perfectly with all else on offer.)
Grab a copy of the issue of Ugly Things #38, where this review appeared, right HERE
Grab a copy of the LP from Anazitisi HEREor MP3’s HERE
Check out "Alone" and "Let Me Be A Part Of You" right here:
