Greg Alexander, Any Day: Greg Alexander Sings the Songs of Ryan Fauber

(Jenke Records, CD, digital download)

Typically, when a songwriter records an album composed entirely of another artist’s songs, it’s meant as tribute, often of the posthumous variety. But last we checked, local songwriter Ryan Fauber [1] is alive and well and still writing and recording with some regularity. That makes Any Day: Greg Alexander Sings the Songs of Ryan Fauber something of a curiosity. On the new full-length released under the Jenke Records banner, Burlington’s Greg Alexander [2] mines Fauber’s romantic soul, not to mention his catalog. The result is a touching collection of material that both highlights Alexander’s vocal prowess and musical sensitivity and casts the prolific Fauber, a genuine songwriting enigma, in a new light.

On his last record, Believer [3], released in early 2012, Fauber offered a continuation of his uneven 2006 effort, Greatest Hits [4]. Like that earlier album — which was culled from a cache of some 200 songs — Believer was a manic effort, a dark and challenging listen that often crumbled under the weight of its own despair. Fauber has never suffered a shortage of feeling. What has generally impeded his progress as a songwriter is an inability to filter, to hone his outsized passion and strike a balance between emotional potency and artistic nuance. Maybe he needed an editor.

Any Day represents eight of the strongest, most compelling and effective songs Fauber has ever written — and he’s obviously written quite a few. What’s more, in Alexander’s capable hands, they offer a delicacy previously unheard in Fauber’s work.

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye — in this case, the ear — of the beholder. And Alexander has discovered a serene beauty in Fauber’s lovelorn musings. From quiet sermons on faith and faithfulness such as “Are You With Me?” to late-night laments such as “I’m Letting You Go,” the singer artfully navigates the songwriter’s humbly poetic prose. It doesn’t hurt that Alexander is a deeply gifted vocalist with a knack for employing just the right amount of reedy, soulful angst. It’s a potent combo.

Any Day reminds me of the Incredible Hulk. A product of David Banner’s colossal rage, the Hulk is initially a frightening and destructive force. The thing that gives him his power is also what makes him dangerous. It’s only when Banner learns to control his alterego that he becomes a superhero. Similarly, Any Day suggests that Fauber, with the help of Greg Alexander, has learned to master his formidable passion.

Any Day: Greg Alexander Sings the Songs of Ryan Fauber is available at tommyalexander.bandcamp.com [5].