Forget the wall-of-sound for a sec. Brit-born artist Alexander Joseph isn’t blasting amps on this one, but don’t mistake subtlety for weakness. His reworked single, “St. David (Alternate Version)”, is IT.
Now, Joseph ain’t no newbie. This guy’s been grinding for years, paying his dues in cover bands and open mics around Bath. He’s got some serious cred too – his tunes have been on TV shows and even at Wimbledon. The BBC’s given him props, and he’s juggling music with coaching wheelchair tennis for the Paralympics. Talk about a hustler!
So, what’s the deal with “St. David”? Get this – originally penned way back in 2011, Joseph shelved it. A decade later, he felt the pull, resurrecting it with fresh perspective for this Alternate Version. The inspiration? A chilly, personal pilgrimage. Think about it: Joseph and his sister trekking to the coastal city of St. David’s in Pembrokeshire, Wales. This wasn’t no ordinary holiday; it was a spiritual crossroads in his life. And you know that pic on the cover? His sister snapped it. This is real-life, family stuff, not some manufactured BS.
Joseph’s music is the kind of honest folk that even the most hardcore rock fans can get behind. He’s taken all that real-world experience – the grind, the family drama, the sports world – and put it into every note. The lyrics, born from that Welsh journey, are deeply personal to Joseph, yet formed with an open-ended grace that lets you, the listener, find your own damn meaning in it. That’s power.
And here’s the rock-solid truth: In a world drowning in over-produced garbage and frantic digital screeching, “St. David (Alternate Version)” stands out precisely because it doesn’t try to compete. It offers peace and reassurance – something Joseph rightly calls out as “more important than ever.” It’s a sanctuary built on unvarnished truth and muscular restraint. The arrangement might be folk, but the intent – the sincerity, the commitment to the song’s core feeling, the refusal to be anything but authentic – that’s pure rock ‘n’ roll spirit.
Alexander Joseph proves you don’t need distortion pedals to deliver a banger, and “St. David (Alternate Version)” is a quiet storm. This is music with its boots firmly on the ground and its eyes on something higher. Solid. Gold. RELEASE.