Her picture hardly does her justice because Alexa Ray Joel is more than just a beautiful woman wearing funky jewelry with an inquisitive look on her face. This becomes evident as soon as she sits before you and opens her mouth. The long-haired woman in the picture is just an oversimplified version of an artist whose musical and lyrical abilities are mind-blowing to say the least.
At the Tin Angel last Tuesday, Alexa Ray Joel was all soul and blues from the minute she walked on stage. She immediately sat at her keyboard accompanied by bassist Jimmy Riot of Torture Sermon, Demian Sims on the guitar and Scotty Garapolo on the drums. An incredible songwriter, singer, and performer, Alexa Ray Joel clearly impressed the sold out audience with her expressive piano skills and poignant lyrics. Heavily influenced by Jazz and Motown greats like Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, and Carole King, Alexa Ray Joel still manages to bring something new and refreshing to the music world without being anybody’s copycat.
Alexa Ray Joel is indeed the daughter of supermodel Christie Brinkley and rock superstar Billy Joel. Because so many other reviewers yearn to write her off as a rich girl whose daddy writes her songs, she deserves an honest evaluation; genetics and financial status disregarded. In her live show, Alexa isn’t afraid to say anything. Opening boldly with the words, “For anybody who thinks my dad writes my songs, he doesn’t. I write them all myself.” Alexa confirmed the statement true with music that poured an indisputably real passion over the audience. In her repertoire of original tunes, Alexa Ray Joel’s velvety voice sings of things that we’re all afflicted with, from unrequited love to the lackluster world of living jaded.
Infused with a delightful blend of rock, jazz, blues, motown, and expert classicism, her music has the versatile quality of sensual reserve paired with a sometimes wild outspokenness. In her mating call, “Resistance,” Alexa speaks poetically of her sensual desires and feelings of alienation. “So answer my existence, in this field of dark resistance,” she croons in her trademark voice which is both deep and breathy. In her other songs, “Time’s are Changin,” not to be confused with any work of Bob Dylan’s and “Revolution,” Alexa unleashes a powerful social commentary. She even curses! “I’ve got a fuckin’ problem with the concept of authority.”
If the pure goodness of her music isn’t enough to convince you, perhaps the path she has chosen as a musician will. Forsaking the ridiculousness of PR stunts that are so popular in the celebrity world, Alexa has boundless integrity, opting to do things the hard way. Instead of using her father’s namesake to land major venues across the country in order to cash out and satisfy the curious forty over crowd, Alexa is playing small colleges, dive bars, and café’s.
As her intensely loyal fan base increases, she’s planning a Hard Rock Café tour for the summer. Also on the way is an EP. Music should be appraised only on the quality of that music, not on who your parents are and how much money you have in your bank account. If you believe in these things, Alexa Ray Joel is definitely worth checking out. Her gracefully chosen words, her cultivated music, and her quiet modesty prove her completely authentic.
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April 19th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Nice article..even nicer picture …Ms. Joel has a new fan
July 26th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
great article!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Nice voice- never heard of her until I started surfing the net. She is beautiful and looks just like her daddy- love her voice- definetly will start listening to her music when I need days to just realx and enjoy life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 17th, 2006 at 7:14 pm