Lexie Roth - Lexie Roth

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Lexie Roth – LexieRoth
2012, Lexie Roth
Musical legacy can be a heavy weight; it can also be ablessing.  Lexie Roth, daughter of famedguitarist Arlen Roth and visual artist Deborah Bussichio, comes from a line ofartistically inclined folk.  Roth showsthe same bent on her debut album, LexieRoth.  While the apple does not fallfar from the tree, so to speak, it’s clear that Roth is still growing into her ownstyle and substance as a songwriter.
Roth opens with the vaguely surf-influenced mellow rock of“Lost Memory”.  There’s a pervading senseof melancholy that walks its way through the open arrangement, which serves asa platter on which Lexie Roth’s fine alto voice can play.  The subtle musical style used here issomewhat reminiscent of Sting’s post-jazz age. “Stay Or Go” is a musical diary entry; wordy and self-absorbed.  The arrangement is solid, but the vocal lineis overly repetitive and trapped in its own ambivalence.  “Forget All About Me” has a more etherealmelancholy at its core.  The sparsearrangement once again allows for Roth’s voice to be the star of the show, butthe plodding melody doesn’t necessarily do her any favors. 
“Ghost Of Childhood” starts slowly and spins in place untilRoth launches into an exceptional chorus. “I Have To Leave You” keeps up the maudlin pace, with Roth perseveratingon a failing relationship in a clockwork arrangement that lulls the listener tosleep.  Things pick up a bit on “LittleOne”, offering up a chorus that is full of quiet energy and a solid hook.  The song flutters and flails a bit on theverses, caught up in wordy style, but the chorus is right on the mark.  “I Wanna Run” considers a relationship shehas given her all to, only to find out her beloved isn’t as committed asshe.  Roth’s story telling here is solidenough, but the story is almost clinically told; there’s no real sense ofemotion one way or the other.
“Call You My Hon” is a love song that’s awash in sound butonce again leaves any distinct sense of emotion at the door. It’s a solid tune,but undersold.  Roth lays her heart bareon “I’ll Be”, a love song with an apocalyptic feel.  It’s unclear whether this number is writtenfrom beyond a relationship or beyond the grave, but Roth’s obsessively verbosestyle is a bit too much in spite of the compelling theme.  A mild swing informs the rhythm of“Windfield”, an expansive story in song that suffers from its own lack ofenergy and Roth’s prolixity.  The auralpalate used here is actually quite enjoyable, and renews the earlier comparisonto some of Sting’s work, but the song just folders under its own monotony.  Roth shakes off her doldrums with thesnarky/sweet “Country Diddy”.  She keepsit simple here while wallowing in her own near-demise, recovery andshort-sighted romantic failings.  It’s aninteresting closer that is very much out of tone with the rest of the album.
Lexie Roth brings an intriguing voice on her self-titleddebut album, but has yet to learn the economy of a seasonedsinger/songwriter/storyteller.  The albumsuffers from a relentless inertia of low-key, plodding songs full ofself-directed and overly populated lyrics. These, alongside Roth’s low-key vocal style, do not serve her well.  Roth’s voice is sufficient to sustain thelistener in spite of all this, but it’s hard not to think that there is morelife in Roth as both a songwriter and performer.
Rating: 2.5 Stars(Out of 5)
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