Phil Alvin - Un "Sung Stories" (2023)

The former Blasters frontman‘s 1986 solo debut album is a soulful collection of blues, jazz, country, and pop songs originally written and recorded between 1925-1953. More than just an engaging document of pre-rock Americana, the album features avant-garde legend Sun Ra and his Arkestra, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and New Orleans saxman Lee Allen, whose session work with Little Richard and Fats Domino have earned him near-mythic status.

Before there was any acknowledgement of what’s now known as the Great American Songbook, a genre called Americana, Triple-A radio, or even an internet to aid in research, a dedicated band of crate-diggers sprang up around LA, discovering long-lost gems on 78s and 45s: Barret “Dr.Demento” Hansen, with his novelty records; Lux Interior of the Cramps, foraging for country and rockabilly; Billy Vera, amassing an R&B archive… and perhaps the most eclectic of the lot, Phil Alvin. As renowned music journalist Chris Morris observed in the liner notes, “If you made a trip to the Alvins’ family home in Downey, affectionately known as ‘the Flop,’ in the early ‘80s, it was almost inevitable that Phil would reach into a crate of 78s and pull out some gem you had never heard.” That pioneering eclecticism was admired by critics and fans alike, although Alvin was perhaps just a step or two ahead of the general audience, which is why this album was a cult favorite and not a platinum smash. If anything, it has a better chance at reaching a broad fan base now than it did when it was new. Today, this brilliantly sung, stirringly performed, and deeply felt record is ready for a new embrace by contemporary listeners, who should be ready to catch up to its prophetic sound.

This release comes on the heels of Liberation Hall’s Mandatory: The Best of the Blasters, a definitive 20-song collection of the band’s hits and deep cuts. Liberation Hall plans further releases throughout 2024 in celebration of the Blasters’ 45th anniversary.

Songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin was the heart of the Blasters, one of America's greatest roots rock bands, but his brother, vocalist Phil Alvin, was the soul of the group, and anyone who wants a crash course on the importance of Phil's contribution to that fine band ought to check out his first solo album, Un "Sung Stories". Here, Phil tackles ten vintage blues, jazz, and gospel tunes, sometimes accompanied a small combo (or just Phil's rudimentary guitar), while on other cuts Alvin is joined by Sun Ra and his Arkestra and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, each of whom swing up a storm in their own truly individual ways. While the sound and approach of this set is a far cry from the Blasters potent take on America's musical history, Alvin's vocals ring out with a palpable joy, and he makes these musical museum pieces live and breathe like they were written last week; this album truly carries the spirit of the Blasters' wide-spectrum approach to American music into a very different direction. And while Phil may not have his brother's songwriting chops, you can't say that a man who would ask Sun Ra to arrange "The Old Man of the Mountain" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" and then have the courage to take the lead vocal on the same is lacking in the way of a unique personal vision. Short and sweet, Un "Sung Stories" is a true gem that's richly felt in a way a collection of "old standards" is not expected to be.