Chapell - Ride
Chapell recently released “Ride,” a single from his new album, Penultimate, which drops June 14, today.
Chapell
On making music in 2019 Chapell says, “I feel like I’m discovering myself as an artist in a way I never could have earlier in my life. For too long, I bought into the notion that I couldn’t become a successful artist after age 30 – and it was liberating to recognize how foolish that was. The most invigorating thing is that I don’t feel I’ve written my best song yet.”
Chapell is Alan Chapell, who grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. A bit of a prodigy, Chapell was playing piano and trumpet when he was five-years-old. By the time he was 12, the local middle schools brought him in to perform classical piano, and later, when he was 15-years-old, he recorded with renowned producer Jimmy Ienner, as well as eventually working with Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads.
After college, he was playing with his band All the Voices, sharing the stage with Flock of Seagulls, 10,000 Maniacs, and Echo and the Bunnymen. When grunge hit, Chapell went to India, playing with the fusion band Kalki, writing jingles for Indian TV, and working as a video jockey.
Chapell’s tenor is remarkably delicious and easy-to-listen-to, delivering tantalizing polished intensity that’s both alluring and penetrating.
Returning to NYC, he got a job with Jupiter Research and studied at Fordham Law School. Then things started to click. He recorded and released The Redhead’s Allegation, an album about not fitting in.
Along with playing around the world to large audiences, from Managua to Mumbai, Chapell moonlights as a privacy guru to big tech. Chapell’s two worlds – music and tech – converge on his new album, with songs like “I am Zuck” and “Sandanista.”
“Ride” opens on a gleaming alt-rock melody infused with alt-pop flavors and hints of classical savors, just enough to imbue the tune with gracious elegance. A powerfully pulsing rhythm drives the song forward, giving it infectious impetus.
Chapell’s tenor is remarkably delicious and easy-to-listen-to, delivering tantalizing polished intensity that’s both alluring and penetrating. I love the guitar solo, skintight and glittering with sensual nuances, followed by the streaming hues of a marvelous violin.
“Ride” is splendid, riding a scrumptiously potent rhythm supporting glowing washes of color, all topped by Chapell’s captivating voice. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this song.
