MIKE ALVAREZ: Child of the Sun

Mining some of the same conceptual territory as Tom Russell’s The Man from Who Knows Where and last year’s Way Out West by San Diego’s own Dave Preston, Mike Alvarez’ new album takes a look at what it means to be us: How did we get here, and who are we?

The twist is that Alvarez’s family came to the U.S. from the Pacific, not from Europe. Similar story arc, very different details.

The first five tracks comprise the “Sweet Home Suite,” which are broken into four acts: “Overture,” “Arrival,” “The Chance,” and “Epilogue,” with track three an interlude titled “Disorient Express.” (Tracks six and seven are separate from the suite and are listed on the CD cover as bonus tracks.)

The opening 10 and a half minute “Overture” begins with a stirring strings section, like something out of an epic film soundtrack, then breaks into a Polynesian=themed section titled “This Island Life.”

This island life
It’s not for me
A bigger world
Holds our destiny

The “Overture” then moves through sections titled “We Came Sailing,” “The Golden Gateway,” and “On the Mainland.”

On the mainland
Here at last
Moving forward
Must we let go the past

And a few verses later:

We’ll change our minds and tongues to be understood
Though we can’t shed our skins we might if we could
We’ll treat your sick and fight your foes as if they were our very own

During this portion, Alvarez leads from piano with a very stately, formal, and chord-based approach not too far from what Dennis DeYoung tried with late-’70s Styx, except that in Alvarez’ hands, the approach is retrained enough to come off as serious, not over the top.

Act II, “Arrival,” is in a mid-career Beatlesque vein—swirling strings and horns, distinctive vocal harmonies. The “Interlude” is a nice bit of instrumental prog rock.

Act III picks up where Act II left off with sharp guitar leads, rich vocal harmonies, all framed by strings and horns.

Act IV, “Epilogue,” opens with the first section, “Waves of Memory,” performed by a string quartet, reminding not a little of the late 1990s Appalachian albums put out by Yo-Yo Ma, Mark O’Connor, and Edgar Meyer. The second section, “This Mainland Life,” keeps the string quartet but adds Alvarez’ vocals.

The whole Suite is an impressive accomplishment, capturing the Hawaiian/Samoan emigration to the mainland, seamlessly melding Polynesian, classical, and rock threads.

The two bonus tracks are of a different flavor, although not out of place with the Suite. “Connect the Dots” has a bit of the Beatles throwback vibe to it, although with more modern influences mixed in. “Everyone’s Human” opens with bowed cello before violin and viola join in, then guitar before Alvarez’ vocals are added at about the halfway point.