Alex Woburn – Singles
Alex Woburn – Singles Review
Okay…let’s see…we’ve got an animated character that clearly never skips leg day in review today…
Alright…as far as I know, Alex Woburn is actually as real as you and I are. I mean, he’s a bit superhuman if you ask me – the dude’s been building quite the resume as he establishes his name in the music-scene – he’s already been a finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest three times! We’re not talking about an artist that’s been around for thirty years – we’re talkin’ about a guy that has only really been around for the last three or so professionally…so make no mistake, being recognized for his efforts on three of his songs so far is seriously quite a noteworthy achievement. Alex makes what he calls “Confessional Pop” – and while that might seem like a strange label when writing about “Scrooge” (okay, it IS a bit weird), y’all know me – I’m not here to fight you on how you wanna tag yourself, even if I sometimes disagree. Call yourself whatever you like dear friends…just keep the music flowing steadily, and love what you do.
Honestly, I can hear it! When I put on Alex’s latest single “Scrooge,” it didn’t even take a single spin for me to be able to recognize that the dude has a gift for melody and the ability to tap right into the kind of hooks listeners will connect with. It is VERY Pop, glossy, and synthetic in so many ways – but beyond all that shiny sound is a stone cold reality that we can all appreciate – Woburn makes music that everyone is bound to enjoy. It’s about as universal as the genre gets, and there’s not a hair out of place in any ticking second of a song like “Scrooge,” or the animated character that comes along with it in the artwork. I’m impressed, genuinely…I think it’s easy to look at his catalog online and feel like he should have more material out there in the time he’s been around, but by that same token, you can hear the immaculate dedication he’s taken to his craft from the start to finish on a single like “Scrooge.” Sure, it’d be nice if we could all churn out flawless tunes all year round, every year we’re in the business for, but that’s not at all how it works. Quality takes time, and Alex should be proud of what he’s been able to create so far in that regard. Most artists and bands can go through the course of their career without making one perfect moment in time, and here on the very first single I’ve clicked on by Alex Woburn, he’s already achieved that in “Scrooge.” I’ll put it to you this way…ultimately, I’d probably be the guy to tell ya that, on paper, you’re gonna want to leave “Scrooge” outta your Pop songs – that is, unless, you can make it sound as good as this does. Essentially, what I’m tellin’ ya is that Woburn has somewhat defied the odds with how well-designed and great of a song that “Scrooge” ended up becoming – for the vast majority of you out there, you’re going to find this to be an irresistible tune. Like I said, I get it – I’ve always got time for those out there that prioritize melody in the music they make, and Alex proves to be focused on the sweetness driving this song from every angle in that regard. It’s unquestionably polished, shiny, and sparkling from beginning to end, but you can’t deny the professional execution here either – “Scrooge” is the audible proof that confirms Alex has every reason to believe he’s earned his place as an artist. Does that make it any less bizarre to be writing about “Scrooge” in a love-song context? Heck no! But I’m tellin’ ya right now that somehow it works as seamlessly as a songwriter could ever hope for, and that you’re probably gonna love this idea a whole lot more than you’d assume.
So…I ended up going backwards through his timeline from there. “Boring Stories” was the single that he released last year, which is…hmm…I suppose it’d be most comparable to stuff you’d expect to find in the Backstreet Boys & whatnot, albeit a bit more sexually explicit and direct through Alex’s approach. I mean, whereas a whole lot of Pop tends to dance around the subject of love and fuckin’ and all that good stuff, Woburn has no problem laying it all out there in the wide open – and when you think about it, why not? He’s getting head in this song, leaving clothes on the floor, being naked…I mean – I feel like a great many people out there will appreciate the fact that he’s certainly not shy when it comes to the art of lovin.’ If more people out there had the sexually progressive attitude and perspective that Alex has, believe me, the society we’re living in would be smiling a lot more than complaining like it tends to now. Anyhow. “Boring Stories” really deals with the concept that, with the right person, even the more mundane parts of life become beautiful – and I honestly feel like that’s true. I’m sure many of you out there completely understand an idea like that, and relate to it yourself. When you’re with the one you wanna be with, whether it be for a night or for a lifetime, it’s like everything about them has a magic that soon expands to everything else that surrounds them. So while you’re listening to what would otherwise be “Boring Stories,” all of a sudden you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world – you see how that works? If you’re lucky enough to have experience the love of a lifetime, or the heat of love in the moment, then chances are you know exactly what Alex is really singing about on “Boring Stories.”
I think for myself personally, at least with respect to the sound coming through my speakers, I’m probably a bit more partial to his single from 2022, called “Magic Is This” than I was to “Boring Stories” – though I’d readily tell ya that Alex tapped into a very strong concept for his 2023 song & I’d likely side with that tune on a conceptual level. This guy sure spends a lot of time on the floor and gettin’ his groove on, so to speak! Or at the very least, his songs do. I like the subdued and humble way that “Magic Is This” begins…ultimately, I know that Woburn is practically incapable of keeping his music so low-key in its energy and that familiar sparkle & shine is definitely coming right around the corner, but for all the flashy sound you’ll find at the core of his material, I feel like there’s still a gracious amount of sincerity that transcends through the plastique sheen of Pop. Truthfully, both “Magic Is This” and “Boring Stories” are in a mellower gear than I would have thought we would have found Woburn in after hearing “Scrooge” at the start, but there’s actually a lot less risk for mid-tempo tunes in the realm of Pop than in virtually any other genre you can think of. The real bottom line is that Woburn consistently leans on his gift for melody and the tightness of his songwriting, and his focus genuinely never seems to waver. The hooks are arguably a bit stronger in “Magic Is This” compared to what we experience in “Boring Stories” I suppose…I dunno, this third track we’ve got here in review seems relatively mellow, but it’s got quite an inspired and memorable sound where it counts most. What I can confirm is this – I’ve never heard anything less than a hit song from Alex Woburn at this point, and I completely get where all the recognition for his efforts and the tremendous accolades are coming from. If you or I could write Pop music as effectively as he seems to be able to, trust me when I tell ya that it’s all we’d ever do. Alex executes with flawless professionalism.
Okay. “Clown” should probably NOT be as good as it appears to be. Like, if you were to put this song under the microscope, you’d completely be able to tell this is the earliest track in Alex’s catalog online – BUT…I feel like he’s actually overachieved with this particular single. When I heard the opening melody and the true uniqueness of this song’s DNA in its sound selection…well…honestly, the first thing I thought to myself was that “Clown” SHOULDN’T work…yet here we are, and it does, much better than you’d think. Is it a distant fourth on my list of favorites from Woburn based on all that I’ve heard here? You betcha! But that’s okay, ain’t it? When “Clown” is still more memorable than the vast majority of songs that come my way, and continually pumps out a pleasing vibe that people will enjoy…I mean, how could that be any kind of a bad thing, right? I’ll say this…it’s the only track in this set of four that reveals even the slightest of cracks in this Pop warrior’s armor. Throughout the other three singles, you wouldn’t find a single note or tone that you’d dare to change remotely – from the music to the microphone, Woburn continually proves he’s about as bulletproof as an artist can be, with material that’ll make an impression on everyone listening. “Clown” is the only song I can cite where I can hear like, ONE moment that he could have potentially sung any better than he did (he knows precisely which one too, because we can all hear it and his ears work just as good as mine do I’m sure) – but so what? To point out one solitary flaw to be found actually speaks volumes on behalf of how perfect he’s gotten the rest of his material. I look at it this way – Woburn learned quickly from making “Clown” that it’s never going to be the 95% you got right that you hear throughout the years as a song’s creator, but the other 5% that you could have possibly done better that’ll haunt you as time goes on. So while there might be a small amount of noticeable slippage in his earliest work on a track like “Clown,” he’s clearly made a concentrated effort to never let that happen again. So instead of 95% perfection like you’d hear on his debut single, he’s now firing at an all-star level that has impeccable attention to detail and makes sure that nothing gets overlooked. “Clown” is a quirky first track to have put out there, but it’s oddly loveable – I ended up liking this song a lot more than I initially thought I might, and feel like it was actually quite brave to have put this out there as a debut. It’s far from typical, but that’s what makes it so unpredictably wonderful.
I do think that, if we’re actually looking at his catalog in the order of how things have been released, that it’s crystal clear that Alex Woburn is at the top of his game right in the here & now. “Clown” was a unique start and clever gamble that obviously got him started on the journey to turn his dreams into his daily reality. “Magic Is This” is the song that proved he could write in a more universally accessible way. “Boring Stories” confirmed that he was capable of creating songs that would thrive in the mainstream. “Scrooge” is THE track that’ll likely illuminate the way forward from here, or outright put him on a path to becoming a household name. He’s got an undeniably exceptional voice, an innate knack for knowing how to create memorable hooks that resonate within the Pop realm, and an authentic gift for creating music that people all around the globe are going to want to hear & keep on their playlists, permanently. Sounds like a very bright future ahead for the music of Alex Woburn as far as these ears of mine can tell.
Find out more about Alex Woburn from his official pages below!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexwoburn
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/lc/artist/alex-woburn/885851905
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexwoburn
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/536SPbIG67uF97IKnGWzXg
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