Skender Beck is a Kosovan-born singer-songwriter now living and working in the US; ‘Stop’, from his debut album ‘Stars Aligned’, is a proper, old-school slice of stadium-style AOR in the vein of U2 or the Kings of Leon.
Beck was a childhood musical theatre and television star In his native Kosovo, studying theatre before moving to New York to continue his education at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and that education stands him in good stead here; dealing with loss and leaving, inspired by Beck’s own journey from troubled Kosovo, conflict, and longing, ‘Stop’ is a deep, theatrical ballad, swathed in atmospheric reverb, in a retro, well-produced, Simple Minds kind of way. Fans of grown-up, adult-oriented rock music won’t go far wrong with Skender Beck.
‘Stars Aligned’ is out in October; in the meantime, you can catch up with Skender Beck here.
Review by Alex Holmes