Review / 200 Words Or Less
William DuVall
One Alone

DVL (2019) — Kevin Fitzpatrick

William DuVall – One Alone cover artwork
William DuVall – One Alone — DVL, 2019

In the 13 years that William DuVall has fronted Alice In Chains, sharing vocal duties with Jerry Cantrell he has left an indelible mark on the band’s music making AIC a band to still be reckoned with, even 35 years after their inception. Their newest album Rainier Fog being proof positive of the strength of that legacy.

Throughout his career in groups like Neon Christ, No Walls and Comes With The Fall, DuVall has shown range and depth while maintaining a bulletproof swagger that’s hard to ignore.

But with his first solo album One Alone, DuVall manages to replace that swagger with a confident but quiet vulnerability that’s just as hard to ignore. Finding strength in the stillness is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what One Alone manages to accomplish. A collection of love songs, essentially. Love lost, love found, and all the messy bits in between.

There’s something to be said for music that’s stripped down to its essence - in this case a voice, and an acoustic guitar. Free from the typical distractions and embellishments of a studio record, what DuVall gives us with One Alone is an album with 11 variations of the raw truth that’s a true pleasure to hear.

William DuVall – One Alone cover artwork
William DuVall – One Alone — DVL, 2019

Recently-posted album reviews

Sweeping Promises

You Say I Romanticize
Sub Pop (2026)

What strikes me foremost about this record are the vocals. As the father of a 13 y.o. daughter I feel qualified to say that this person could be a pop singer. I mean I don’t really know what it takes to be one, although I’m sure that it’s more than a voice good enough to win a game show, I’ve … Read more

Moonraker

Me and the Bells
Punkerton Records (2026)

I have probably talked about this before, I knew of Moonraker through split EPs and things like that, but they didn't fully pop into my consciousness until The Forest. Me and the Bells, four years later, is their follow-up full-length and it continues the trajectory from that record while still capturing its own distinct vibe. Musically the band is heavily … Read more

Dreamwell

Hymns for the Denial of God
Prosthetic (2026)

Some records make their intentions obvious from the very beginning. They use the same structure that countless bands have for decades: verse, chorus, breakdown, payoff, and the blunt force of explaining what you are supposed to feel. Hymns for the Denial of God does something much more complex. It’s a series of difficult questions no one wants to answer, proposed … Read more