The big ballads and earworm hooks that populate Alex Warren’s debut album don’t tell the whole story. Yes, Warren’s ability to conjure stadium-ready melodies from thin air is inspiring, but as deeply felt is the concept behind the record. Namely, the Carlsbad, California-born songwriter takes the opportunity on his first album to tell his younger self a story. Here, he offers all the advice he wishes he could have received as a kid, instead offering it to his fans—young, old, and every age in between—in hopes that it helps them in some way. On “Troubled Waters,” he cooks up a pulsing piano line and recruits a bevy of background singers to highlight his poignant lyrics. Refusing to be buried under the weight of life’s stressors, he sings: “Feel the world on my shoulders/Slowly pulling me under/And I don't wanna push you away.” He wavers, adding: “Let me drown in troubled waters/Drown in troubled waters alone.” Here, Alex Warren realizes that the most difficult and crucial step is simple: acknowledgment.