US artist Frank ALEXANDER is a veteran musician with a career that has been ongoing for 30 years or thereabouts, currently active as one third of progressive rock band Triplicity. I don’t really know how much or if he has released any further solo material, as this EP, “5×5”, is the only one I can find information on easily. This EP was released by US label Silber Records towards the end of 2014 as a part of their ongoing 5-in-5 conceptual range of EPs, where the concept is to create a 5 minute long EP with a total of 5 compositions.

One aspect of this productions worth noting is that Alexander works slightly outside of the box for this series of EPs as his take has been that the playtime should be between 5 and 6 minutes long rather than clocking in at 5 minutes sharp, so that the total playtime for this production is 5:59. In terms of the music itself, this production opens with a lively disco going synth pop affair, underscored by a firm and partially industrial oriented rhythm foundation. Three of thee following four tracks all hone in on jazz and jazzrock in some way or other, with funky bass, guitar and rhythms respectively, accompanied by lively and delicate brass bursts for the second and fourth tracks respectively, while the concluding fifth song  revolves more around an arguably waltz-oriented piano motif and various surges and bursts of eerie, futuristic synth details. In between these more jazz and jazzrock oriented escapades the third track is more of an elegant pop music affair, with wandering acoustic guitars, gentle brass details and ethereal electronic effects.

All in all this comes across as a compelling production that should have a fairly wide appeal, and while a liberal taste in music is warranted to be able to enjoy this production, an affection for easygoing, catchy jazzrock is probably the most warranted quality needed.

My rating: 84/100