Who doesn't like The Piano Man, Billy Joel? I expect very few answered that question affirmatively. I'd argue, Joel is one of the most talented musicians of our time, and guess what ... it appears to me that his daughter Alexa Ray inherited her father's musical genes. Alexa Ray Joel was interviewed a while back by Howard Stern and she also performed her recent single release called Notice Me (4:29 minutes into the interview video). It's not the most sophisticated melody but I find it's hard to get it out of my head once I've heard it ... and that's a good thing ... I end up humming it to myself all day long. But what I particularly liked was the vocabularly used in the lyrics (when words are used), and the unabashed candor of this young generation. When was the last time you heard the words "beguiling" or "reclusive" in a song that also mentions being not being a "hoe", and ends in Sha-La-La-La?
Alexa is obviously talented, showing promise in her melodies as well as lyrics. It will be lots of fun to watch her grow.
No surprise, we are on the same page again.
I saw Alexa two summers ago at a benefit concert in Sag Harbor. Obviously talented, I was struck by her sweetness and utter appreciation for the audience coming to hear the songs.
Billy and Christie were also there - - staying in the background the entire time - - fully content to let their daughter have the spotlight.
The whole night left me with a very positive impression of her musical ability and the family she comes from.
Good luck, Alexa.
Posted by: Paul Angotta | Monday, December 27, 2010 at 10:48 AM