Alice in Chains singer William DuVall is releasing his very first solo album ‘One Alone’ October 4th, 2019, Via DVL Recording. It’s one man, one guitar an all-acoustic album.
The album starts off with ‘Til the Light Guides Me Home’ a track that sounds like the Fall time. The seasons are changing and that breeze you feel is Williams’s soulful vocals. He’s managed to capture an autumn-like vibe with his warm vocals and haunting, yet soothing guitar. From the very first moment you hear the first track off the album, you no longer compare William DuVall to the late Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, but instead, all you hear is a very talented musician that is in the early chapter of treading his own path.
The second track, ‘The Veil of All My Fears’ is a lot darker, as if your heart is sinking into your stomach. Throughout the album, it feels as if the theme is heartbreak and new beginnings. But what’s magnificent about the album is you not only hear it, you feel it through the heart-wrenching lyrics and sweet, slow-pitch of his hollow guitar. It is soft but the delivery feels like an artillery range.
The track “3 wishes’ possibly my favorite track on the album has a 90s feel to it. It’s eerie, its dark and man does it pack a punch. You can really hear the vocal range that William DuVall carries. Showing that he is a force to be reckoned with. It’s remarkable when someone can go from metal/grunge to something more soft and restrained.
Track number 6 “Still Got a Hold on My Heart’ will really make you appreciate his strumming pattern. His voice is great but he’s able to make one acoustic guitar sound like a five-piece band. You can hear the attitude and almost anger coming from the guitar alone.
I found the lyrics in ‘One Alone’ to be very catchy, easy to sing along too, yet you don’t really want to sing along because you are too busy experiencing each track. Each song seems to tell a story and you find yourself picturing each moment and living vicariously through the song. I found the album to be diverse in its sound, which can be tough when you’re doing an all-acoustic album. The lyrics are bold and soulful at times and the guitar has a voice of its own. Overall I thought each track was beautifully composed.
‘So Cruel’ was another track on the album that really stood out. You can hear and appreciate his emotional honesty. The guitar sounds happier than some of the other tracks yet the lyrics have a blues feel to them. In the middle of the song, you’ll hear some great strumming and this track might just have you singing along!
Each track sounds different than the last and carries a lot of emotions. As if you’re back in high school experience your first break up. “One Alone” will take you on an emotional journey. Posing the question, who is he singing about and when will the seasons truly change. The album shows that William DuVall is so much more than just the lead singer for Alice in Chains and he has put pure heart and soul into this album. You won’t be able to get enough of ‘One Alone’ and it will have you coming back for more!
