Page 41 - IONIndieMagazine Vollume 41 Nov/Dec2017

“Lessons learned are the bridges burned on road that’s lead me to this life
Lessons learned is the love that’s earned after heartache, pain, and strife
Oh, at first I thought I just couldn’t take it

I was wrong, this pain I can shake it
Just be patient, it will all work out in the end
‘Cause lessons learned in love are lessons worth learning, my friend”

Lyrics from the title song from the Alex Guthrie album “Lessons Learned”

With Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Guthrie barely being in his mid-20’s, he’s only been an
occupant of this ball of confusion that we call “Planet Earth” for but a short span in the context of a lifetime, yet
Guthrie is apparently paying attention to the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Keeping in mind that Guthrie still has a lifetime of experiences to embrace – his 10-song, full-length studio
album, “Lessons Learned,” presents compositions penned by Guthrie that belie his youth. His songs are
emotional, introspective, and personal, paying homage to what the universe has dispensed thus far. His lyrics
are poetry set to sound and run the gamut of love found and love lost -- intermixed with his impressions of life
through his “old soul” eyes. The CD represents an opportunity for Guthrie to purge his soul and get a few things
off his mind, a cathartic way to clean the slate and to embark on his next musical chapter.

Listening to his songs, it’s as difficult to pin down his age as it is his genre. There’s a throwback feel to his songs,
whose recipes contain a pinch of folk, a dash of pure soul, and a healthy dose of blues. The sum of the parts is
magic.

Those of us that are television viewers and lovers of creative ads (especially those that air during the Super
Bowl) may not immediately recognize the name -- although he’s been honing his craft since a teen. However,
THAT commercial for American Family Insurance – where the Grammy Award-winning singer/Academy Award-
winning actress Jennifer Hudson walks up on Guthrie while he’s busking in Atlanta’s Woodruff Park and surprises
him with a spontaneous duet of “Lovely Day”, is a moment that has all the feel-goodness of a tot being given a
new puppy on Christmas morn. Here is the full version: https://youtu.be/FpdKo6JnQJA

Apparently, Hudson was as inspired as Guthrie was surprised, “I felt like I was part of his dream, and I love those
moments. I tried not to get emotional in the middle of it because you're a part of someone's dream," Hudson
said in an interview with American Family Insurance. "I actually sat and talked to Alex, and he was saying how
he would love to bring the world together through music -- different lifestyles, all walks of life, and in that
moment, that's what was happening."

This ad quickly brought Guthrie to the public’s attention. Guthrie’s talent is undeniable…and that look of shock
and bemusement that crosses his face when he discovers the Grammy-winner Hudson joining him in song is
obviously not staged. I wanted to know more and sought out this emerging and very talented artist. Thus, I
reached out to Guthrie’s management and this is the interview that ensued.