Chris Alcaraz by Chris Alcaraz

As an accomplished blues musician, Chris also backed blues icons Bo Diddley and Joe Houston.

After graduation, his move to Austin, Texas meant delving deeper into fundamental American musical roots and laying down grooves with players from The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Asleep at the Wheel, Junior Brown and Texas Tornados. During a show with pianist Wiley Cousins, Ernie Durawa of the Tornados called Chris to the stage where he delivered his trademark powerhouse performance. Wiley asked Chris to co-found the Well Hungarians. Chris produced their first CD, and they toured extensively in the U.S. and abroad.

Their Scandinavian agent told them: "you guys are here all the time anyway." So the group relocated to meet their growing popularity overseas. There Chris recorded again with them on his debut solo CD - written, arranged, sang, played on and produced in its entirety by him.

The CD clearly contains a mixture of back-to-basics melodic guitar-pop influences. Yet its richly satisfying sound displays a freshness and breadth that makes it far more than a combination of the artist's tastes. It's refreshingly sincere, substantial music that makes you feel good.

Press the play button, and the upbeat, spirited So Much grabs you all at once. Then it lays back with the light-hearted Anne. And by the time the feel-good pop anthem Gotta Say Now sums up the CD's overall message: "Everything's gonna be alright" , you believe it.

Throughout the recording, Chris creatively melds pop sensibilities with a genuine need to express his feelings. Witness the hauntingly forlorn atmosphere of the Chris Issak-tinged To Your Heart, the Stones-y grind of Do It Again, or the optimistic Beatle bounce of (After All) It's Only Love.

No Mo' Me & You is a swaggering, cheeky look at lost love. The Way I Need You masks another painful relationship as it cooks along with a Motown feel.

Strange sounds like George Jones on amphetamines, and pleasantly reminds you that this artist doesn't take himself too seriously.

The heartbreaking Giving My Love To You marks a return to the Americana. Try Some Understanding makes a social statement with a furious funky groove and a horn section to back it up.

The acoustic ballad Call On Me, is perhaps the most nakedly confessional. And it leaves you with a lasting introspective feeling as you take a deep breath, give a quietly definitive "yeah," and want to do it all over again. Honest, diverse, and laden with solid, unforgettable hooks, the effect is wholly positive and ultimately fulfills its guarantee to make you feel good.

Current European radio singles include: So Much, Anne, Gotta Say Now and To Your Heart. Chris still tours overseas, but is now back in the States shopping a distribution deal for his European release and an recording deal for his current demos. He wants to make it at home, and to show the bigger labels: "I did this on my own. Now give me a chance to show you what I can do with a team behind me."

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