Singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel reveals another side of herself on “Riverside Way” — a sultry new single and video that upends what she calls her “good girl” persona — and, in an interview with Newsday, also reveals that her dad, Billy Joel, is “doing great” since being diagnosed with a brain disorder in May.
“I’m very supportive and close with my parents,” Joel, 39, said, referring to rock icon Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley. “People see me as the good daughter, which is great. But I wanted to also assert: OK, well, I’m a woman unto myself, too, with my own imagination and fantasies and desires.”
“Riverside Way,” which was released Friday, is a bass-driven, R&B-tinged track that finds a breathy Joel singing such suggestive lines as “You’ve got a one-track mind” and “Give me just a little bit / I need another hit.” In the accompanying video, Joel and real-life fiance Ryan Gleason play a bored couple who spice things up by adopting daring new roles. The video was filmed at Joel’s family home in Sag Harbor and incorporates a vintage red truck — a family heirloom of sorts, Joel says — that catches fire, albeit with the help of some post-production trickery.
“My mother would not be too pleased if that were a real development,” Joel said of the cherished old truck. “We were able to have that done with special effects.”
“Riverside Way” is the first single from Joel’s upcoming five-song EP, “Tales From a Winding Tower.” All recording took place at the Sag Harbor property with producers Tony Bruno and Tommy Byrnes, her father’s longtime guitarist. (Mixing was done at Applehead Recording in Saugerties.) The other songs, which Joel plans to release one by one, will be “stylistically eclectic” and “experimental,” she said, with nods to psychedelia and The Beatles.
“Almost like my ‘Nylon Curtain,’” she added, referring to her father’s ambitious album from 1982. “No two songs are alike.”
Joel also offered an encouraging health update on her father, who in May canceled all concerts following his diagnosis with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a rare brain disorder that can affect balance and hearing.
“I’m happy to share my father is doing great,” Joel said. Over dinner last weekend at the Italian restaurant Gioia in Oyster Bay, she recalled, The Piano Man opted for chicken over his usual steak and made sure to eat his vegetables. “I said, ‘Dad, you never normally eat eggplant. What’s going on?’ He said, “Well, I’m trying to be healthy.’”
The 76-year-old rocker has also been doing physical therapy three times a week to improve his balance and overall strength, according to his daughter.
“He’s a fighter, you know?” Joel said. “And I’m really glad to see just how strong he’s been and how much he’s prioritizing his health. I’m very proud of him.”
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