featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
June 16, 2026
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
If yacht rock is truly a thing it's only in retrospect. Kenny Loggins, Doobie Brothers, Player. None of these artists knew they would eventually be classified that way. Even when he was sailing atop the charts, Christopher Cross had never heard of yacht rock. It's an unfortunate development we choose to ignore. But if there were contemporary artists (beside Keith Urban) who were deliberately creating yacht rock, they might sound like Alex Amen and his debut full length, Sun Of Amen (ATO).
Having lived a couple years in the Seattle area, Amen has even restored a wooden boat. His 2025 Zorthian Tapes EP pictured him on the water (no doubt awaiting a cool change). He has admitted to a time when he was drawn to Jimmy Buffett's oeuvre. The songwriter grew up in Texas, and more recently has spent time in Los Angeles and New York. We mean no offense here. There are few artists creating music as smooth and laid back. And we're unabashedly here for it.
Sun Of Amen is a disarmingly pretty collection, a folk-country rock project that harkens to Laurel Canyon as much as it suggests Texas and even the peaks of Colorado. Self-produced with engineer Jonny Bell, the record is so decided, so confident in its vibe that in less capable hands it might risk being dismissed as a mere tribute project. But Alex Amen is a skilled enough songwriter that songs like the piano-based "Lonely People" benefit from his earnestness (hey, wait - didn't America have a moderate hit with their own song by that title?). Lush strings wash across the track, Amen encouraging the sort of pure pop melancholy heard in J Tillman's earliest Father John Misty releases. Another piano number, "Memories Of You" recalls Harry Nilsson's underappreciated jazz-and-blues shaded balladry.
"California Blues" was reportedly written when Alex Amen was just fourteen, and it has been included on a couple other releases. With Tommy De Bourbon's pedal steel and harmonies by Haylie Davis, it's the sort of corduroy-clad country-folk that typifies the collection. Joined in studio by actor/guitarist Adrien Garner, bassist Casey Nunes, and Colton Stephens on drums, the recordings rely on the simple appeal of a decent tune, well-recorded. Likewise, "Diamonds" offers an easy ticket to a breezy Laurel Canyon evening, a feather-light touch and a clear-blue melody.
Published interviews confirm that Alex Amen is indeed the sort of guy you wouldn't mind tagging along with on your hike across the mountain vistas (or perhaps sailing on the clear and bright blue waters). His overall likeability can be attributed to an effortless vocal manner, a delivery that owes a bit to John Denver (see also Glen Campbell, Fred Neil). "Changes" adds a hint of a bluesy sway, while "Cabin By the Sea" is a carefree folk stroll. Sun Of Amen goes down so smoothly that it requires us to check our cynicism at the door, to listen with naiveté and to expect nothing more or less than a sweet collection of songs. In that, Alex Amen succeeds admirably.
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