"If one were seeking to characterize the Zeitgeist of the past two years in a single word, one could do worse than 'melancholic,'" writes countertenor Alexander Chance of this, his debut album. Drop not, mine eyes was made in September of 2021, in one of those venturing-out spaces between lockdowns, and released in 2023. Melancholy is a central trait of the lute song repertory Chance explores here, and he delivers some corkers in that vein, not only Dowland's familiar Flow, my tears but also the lesser-known three-section Mrs. M.E. Her Funeral Tears for the Death of Her Husband by the underrated John Danyel. Yet Chance leavens the dark mood with some gorgeous, lyrical pieces (try Thomas Campion's The Cypress Curtain of the Night) and even a bit of raunch ("Give me kind Amaryllis, the wanton country maid"). Curiosity about Chance, the son of famed countertenor Michael Chance, might have drawn buyers to this album, which appeared on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023. Once listening, hearers will discover not a clone of Michael Chance but a youthful voice with a highly distinctive tang, held in check here by the quiet nature of most of the songs. It is a debut that reflects its time and promises much. ~ James Manheim