Album Review – William Alexander’s “Along The Boundary Line”

Western (#512), Cowboy Music (#512.5), (###) Australian Traditional Country on the Country DDS.

The story of William Alexander doesn’t start way out West. It starts way Down Under. But the wide open spaces, the horse, tack, fence, and cattle, the hard-working days and the lonesome nights are no different no matter what hemisphere you might reside in. That’s what’s made Australia such a rich incubator for Western songs over the years (or traditional Australian country songs in this instance), and for artists like William Alexander specifically.

Alexander lived the life first, working on farms and ranches—or “stations” as ranches are called in Oz, just like cowboys are called “stockmen.” Though passing notions of country music and cowboy poetry might be one of simple language, the nomenclature and vernacular is imperative to its authenticity, most especially when it’s from Australia. Instead of committing the common mistake of Americanizing the language, William Alexander leans into his native dialect, making for a more genuine experience for Aussie listeners, and a more unique one for the international audience.

In Australia, William Alexander is doing for country music what artists like Zach Top and Colter Wall are doing for it in North America in some respects, which is re-instilling the roots back into the music, and in a way that’s finding resonance and appeal among appreciative audiences of all ages. In 2025, he won the Country Music Association of Australia’s Thorton Young Award, which is a rough equivalent to the CMA’s New Artist of the Year. His sound might be strongly entrenched in the past, but he’s presenting the future of Australian country.

Alexander’s new album Along The Boundary Line is as true traditional Australian country music as it gets, which translates stateside as an inviting Western experience. Nine of the ten songs are written by Alexander himself, with the exception being “Hose And Hobble Days,” borrowed from Slim Dusty, or the “King of Australian Country Music.” Similar to Colter Wall and certain other Western artists, Alexander lives it to sing it, with the two disciplines of working on stations (ranches), and working on songs sometimes intertwining and conflicting, like is portrayed in the song “Busy Pickin’.”

The songs and the sounds are strictly traditional, which is welcoming, but also somewhat restricting to the potential audience. It’s really William Alexander’s voice that sets him apart from many others in the discipline, irrespective of country of origin. It’s the way his timeless tone and effortless delivery calls to mind the lonesome prairie and the solitary cowboy that gives this music such lush imagery, enhanced by the writing. Though William’s capable of more vocal acrobatics according to locals, he’s also perfectly content singing in a more dry approach because his tone is still so lively and rich without much effort.

It’s not the groundbreaking innovation, but the purity of the expression that impresses and captivates, especially with how difficult it is these days to fend off the influences of modernity. Nonetheless, the simple truth is that Australia is a small market, and such a version of traditional Australian country still comes with niche appeal. Oz isn’t spared from the influence of Keith Urban, or even Morgan Wallen.

But listeners in the United States, Europe, and beyond need no convincing of the appetite that has arisen for these type of true, unadulterated expressions in country music. It just needs to find the ears searching for it, and they might not know to look in Australia. Hopefully a few more do now, and hopefully William Alexander can open up a new frontier for the appeal in old country music.

8.1/10

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Stream/purchase Along The Boundary Line