Alan Chang knows a thing or two about love songs.
Serving as Michael Bublé's musical director and pianist for 19 years and co-writing the classic wedding songs 'Home', 'Everything' and 'Haven't Met You Yet' will do that for you.So when Chang spread his wings creating an album of his own, it would have been easy to stick to what sells – the glorious, cherry pie kind of love songs that go down easy as, well, pie.
However, Chang isn't that simple. Everything he does from his spiralling, frenetic jazz solos to his delicate lyrical expression is as complex as the man himself.
His debut, self-written album 'Check Please' is dark, deep, and moody, and then suddenly soaring through clouds of heavenly love. It's desperate and frenetic, then steely and resolved.
It is all the sides of a man who has spent his 43 years absorbing every ounce of emotion life has thrust into his path, and come out the other side a little scarred, yet eternally optimistic.
scenestr is thrilled to premiere 'Check Please'. Enjoy.
The star studded album features collaborations with Pino Palladino (The Who, John Mayer, Blake Mills), David Koz, and Inara George, as well as Russell Elevado (D'Angelo, Common, The Roots) who mixed half the album. Ryan Lerman (Scary Pockets, Lizzy McAlpine) lent his production talents to the first half of the album, while Chang and Adam Greenholtz took the reins for the second half.
"This batch of songs was only arrived at after a bit of a purge," shares Alan. "During the pandemic, a group of songwriter friends and I would have to email a song we wrote and recorded every Tuesday morning.
"My first half a dozen weeks were still writing songs that sounded too commercial and felt like they were for someone else. I think it was an important step to get those uninspiring songs out of my system and start writing for me, not for commerce.
"What I found in the next batch of songs was something I didn't know I was looking for. All my influences got together for a speed dating event and these were the connections that were made.
"And then you throw in two big, life changing events. One where I left a gig after 19 years and the other is where I met my future wife and mother of my child and there was certainly plenty to write about.
"These songs bring together my jazz roots and my love of songwriting. I think of the songs as vehicles for improvisation. They could work in a variety of contexts.
"Or they can work as little, three-minute nuggets where you walk away whistling the chorus. As if the Nat King Cole Trio was 'indie'. This album has been called indie jazz by others, which I feels right to me."
A flurry of drums slide into the darkly pensive piano chords of 'Natalie Explain', a desperate tale of unrequited love and the first song of the album. Horn blasts and sporadic bass convey emotional turbulence, as Chang oscillates between hope and resignation.
"Tell me what we're doing here," he begs. "Have I just ignored the warning signs?" Telephonic female vocals tauntingly mimic the chorus lyrics, conveying the narky passivity of the object of Chang's affection; she cares little but not little enough to leave.
A perfectly singable sad song that leaves you feeling remorseful, the bridge's warm sax solo adds to the delectable soundscape, completing a perfect reminiscence of hanging out with your ex who makes you feel good at the time, but leaves you feeling empty and regretful afterwards.
Jumpy piano leads into a straight beat for 'Love As A Weapon', as Chang's vocals enter, smooth and slow. "Bullets in the chamber, lined up single file," he sings nonchalantly, suppressing his rage behind pretty piano and singing bowl chimes.
"Now I've put your trust into question, as I use your love as a weapon," Chang sings accompanied by angelic female vocals, as the song maintains a pleasantly boppy feel.
The lyrical and musical juxtaposition convey a desire to cover the ugly truth of a relationship with the illusion all is well, a save face at all costs. The piano turns abruptly into confronting minor jazz, a small glimpse of the severe underlying issues, before returning to its heavenly vibe, albeit with a last flurry of clashing piano notes signalling a final, untameable loss of control is just on the horizon.
Brilliantly confusing, 'Love As A Weapon' demands a second listen through.
A melancholy melody seeps 'Let's Not Come Down' into frame, the inevitability of reality closing in. Sparse instrumentation blends with warm synthesiser chords, holding out hope for a better day.
"I'm not ready to turn around," Chang sings. "We'll run on empty," he declares with as much force as an empty man can muster. Inara George's vocals take over, repeating the chorus with her own variation. "See if the pieces still belong," Chang sings, momentarily entertaining the thought of 'what if it doesn't work out?' before returning to his desperate resolve to not let go.
Frantic piano distils the efforts of a man who won't be denied. A beautiful exploration of tired passion, 'Let's Not Come Down' sits well, an expensive whiskey of a song.
The record takes an explorative turn in 'Rest of My Life', funky metallic sounds intersperse between '80s synthesisers, as Chang recounts his tales of quitting right before the end. "Took some classes in art history, skipped the essay, got no degree."
A heavily effected saxophone solo conveys the sporadic workings of Chang's flippant mind, before he finds some steadiness in the chorus. "I know I can see things through, and now I've found a reason to," he sings joyously of the new hope he has found."
"You're the kind of girl I could spend my life tryna spend the rest of my life with you," he sings, and life is looking up for once. 'Rest Of My Life' provides some welcome emotional relief atop an '80s-esque jive.
Soul-filled organ warmly brings in 'Only Sight', a delicate celebration of the joy of easy love. "Of all the beauty in the world surrounding me, you're the only sight, the only sight that I can see," Chang croons, and it's nice to see the leading man happy.
It wouldn't be Chang without some classic clashing jazzy notes echoing trouble in paradise, but the song returns to the gentle ease of simple love, and all is well in the world.
"I got someone who's hard to please," Chang declares sans instrumentation for 'Ms Finicky', before drums roll in marching style, an ode to the military precision required to enchant Chang's latest love.
The complexity of Chang's romantic endeavours are mirrored in his luscious piano playing, toying around simple ideas with elaborate and deep repetition and variation, the relationship goes in circles. 'Ms Finicky' wouldn't be out of place in a musical, a relatable number.
Double bass plucks seductively to introduce 'Set Me Free', as Chang lays out the appeal of his 'fixer-upper' personality. The chorus drums beat straightly, as Chang gets to the point: "When you're done with me, then just set me free."
As jazz organ noodles prettily, perhaps Chang sarcastically enjoys the process of being picked up and toyed with. The chorus builds with the addition of trumpets, who carry into the bridge, seeming to say 'life's a play, why not enjoy it?'.
An impressive drum solo closes the song, which has built brilliantly, leaving you with the impression that life, however comically far from the idyllic dream we create in our minds, can still be savoured with a hefty helping of tongue in cheek.
'Aperitif' continues the vibe of 'Set Me Free' in a musical interlude, before stark piano rings out in 'Favorite Of The Gods'. "What can a human do for a girl like you, favourite of the gods?" Chang asks with the hopeless optimism we've come to expect from him.
An unexpected synthesiser solo captures the bridge of the song, which has built to an ethereal high. The piano rings out solo, before a female asks "what can a boy do?". Dreamlike in feel, 'Favorite Of The Gods' suggests a daydream in which we're all too happy to stay.
'Wander' opens in haunting piano underlaid with electric guitar, suggesting a return to the clouds of sad resignation. "I can't see you coming down the line," Chang laments. It is a beautiful sadness that touches the soul.
Strings elevate the song in a tense back and forth between breaking into hope and being pulled back into the dark. An interesting choice to close the album, 'Wander' leaves the sense of unsatisfied longing, a desire to be free constrained by a steady reality check that beneath it all, we are consumed by our desire to be loved and known fully.
Confrontingly raw and at times optimistic, 'Check Please' can be called one thing above all else – stunningly beautiful. With a skilled and delicate touch, Chang conveys the beautiful side of pain, rejection and loss, taking it all in stride and hopping right back on the horse to pursue the next beauty who crosses his path.
He reminds us that beauty is found not only in pleasantries and fulfilment, but also in struggle, discord and the singular moments of sad solitude that drip down into creating our character. Chang reminds us that despite it all, we are alive, and that is worth celebrating. It's also a wonderfully comforting record if you've just been dumped.
'Check Please' is a masterful achievement and a confronting artwork, a snapshot of a life lived with an eye of eternal hope.
