Arthur Alexander - ...Steppin' Out! (2023)

BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to announce the July 21 release of the new, eagerly-anticipated solo album from veteran guitar-pop maestro ARTHUR ALEXANDER (of SORROWS and POPPEES fame). The new record ...STEPPIN' OUT! is a confident, eclectic and revelatory collection from ALEXANDER, already preceded on the global pop-rock airwaves by the stomping lead single “Woman.” Future singles -- the socially conscious folk rocker “Humming Blues In Four” and the irresistible retro-swing shuffle “Oh Lulu, Won't You Be My Girl,” -- reveal the extraordinary depth and wide appeal of the record, which hits record store shelves and online retailers worldwide in gorgeously-designed Vinyl LP and CD editions as well as all streaming services on the street date. Up for pre-order and pre-save everywhere now (orcd.co/arthuralexander-steppinout), the album will be accompanied by videos and live gigs by The Arthur Alexander Band in the LA area to celebrate its release. ...STEPPIN' OUT! continues a golden era for Arthur following the rapturously-received return of SORROWS after a forty-year absence, building on that buzz and blazing bold new trails all at once. It's brave, moving, and guaranteed to dazzle even longtime fans.

The album is a powerful, adventurous statement from ARTHUR ALEXANDER, a singular talent who may have nothing left to prove but so much more to say, sing and play. The title of ...STEPPIN' OUT! says it all: here's our hero trying on a few new sharply-tailored suits before a rock and roll night on the town, and finding that they all fit to a tee. There's no lack of the hook-propelled brand of pop-rock at which the man has always excelled: the Byrds-like “Fly Away,” the lush “Silver Cloud” (which wouldn't sound out of place on All Things Must Pass), and the Sorrows sequel “It's Not Love Anymore #2” (if anything, even catchier than the original) all stand with his best. But just as thrilling is the palpable swagger to the way Alexander tackles not just the aforementioned traditional swing jazz and issue-driven folk rock, but also country-tinged roots rock (“I Miss You”), hard-rock crunch (“Why Can't You Come”), and the haunting psych-postpunk hybrid “Ashes.” It all flows just as naturally as Arthur's versatile and compelling singing voice, and amply showcases his multi-instrumental prowess: not many players could move so effortlessly from the lovely Shadows-style lead guitar wizardry on the instrumental tribute “Flying Shadows” to the Giorgio Moroder-inspired pulses of the electropop workouts “(She's A) Red Hot Lover” and “A Little Too Much,” but Arthur's undeniable knack for melody and heartfelt delivery bring them all together with a nearly preternatural ease and grace.

And the point is, these diverse styles have been part of Arthur Alexander's musical worldview all along. “I grew up in Poland surrounded by classical music and went through swing, modern jazz and Dixielend, in that order – and even experienced a living-room performance by Pete Seeger! -- before I even got into rock and roll! So as much as I dove headfirst into beat music when The Beatles, The Stones and The Shadows rocked my world, the word 'eclectic' is practically a part of my musical DNA,” explains Arthur. “While my first solo album (2018's acclaimed ONE BAR LEFT) was musically diverse, ...STEPPIN' OUT takes it to a whole ‘nother level, and ‘eclectic’ is the driving force behind it. I chose the title for a reason, because that’s exactly what I’m doing… stepping out! If you've walked the path I've walked my entire musical life, it will (hopefully) teach you to follow your own heart and march to your own drum.”

That Arthur feels the freedom to “step out” owes everything to an incredible wave of creative, commercial and critical momentum. The last five years have been both a renaissance and a vindication for Arthur. Few could be more aptly described as a musical “lifer” than Alexander, from his beginnings as a rebel rocker in Soviet-era Poland to his key role in inventing and bringing the power pop sound to the late '70s punk rock hotbed of New York City with THE POPPEES and SORROWS. While both bands left an indelible footprint in the hooks-and-harmonies underground, the latter was torpedoed by record company interference in the early '80s. Arthur's surprise 21st Century return, first to the live stage with the formation of THE ARTHUR ALEXANDER BAND (still blowing the roofs off of LA clubs to this day) and then with his acclaimed solo debut, was capped by the literal resurrection of SORROWS and the 2021 arrival of LOVE TOO LATE.. the real album (the definitive and as-intended version of the band's second album, forty years after its genesis). Hailed as one of the freshest-sounding guitar pop records of the decade, it can be taken together with One Bar Left to complete a portrait of an artist reveling in complete mastery of his own musical past, present and future.

And that brings us to where Arthur Alexander is today. While the widespread adoration of the new/old Sorrows album might've been a victory lap or a career bookend for most other artists, Arthur characteristically sees it as a launching pad for new sonic adventures. As one of the new album's instantly-memorable standout tracks has it, “One Life (Is All You Got)” and with ...STEPPIN' OUT, Arthur Alexander demonstrates that he's ready and able to make the most of every day, and any musical challenge he chooses to tackle. On the new album, it's all delivered according to his career long maxims: the song is king, play it hard and loud, and sing it straight from the heart. Here, he does just that, communicating damned near everything he's learned along the way with his ageless passion and craftsmanship.

“When I write a song I don’t care if it sounds 'now', or 'yesterday', or worry if others will approve. I write what sounds good to me, and I go where the song wants to go.” You can hear that hard-won and oft-proven conviction in the grooves, and it couldn't be more clear: It's all pop music. And it all rocks. ARTHUR ALEXANDER is ...STEPPIN OUT! The world can only marvel as he struts his stuff.