Arthur Alexander is best known for “Anna” and “Soldier of Love,” and his songs were typified by solid craftsmanship and a storytelling singing style that only hinted at the depth of heartbreak in each drama. Hacktone Records presents Alexander’s last chapter: his last album from 1993, a live concert on NPR’s Fresh Air and some demos. After the Fresh Air appearance, Alexander checked into the hospital and died days later.

The studio album was produced by Ben Vaughn, who provides sympathetic, spare backing for Alexander, adding an occasional pedal steel guitar or organ. He let Alexander’s words and voice stand front and center, and they were up to the challenge. Irma Thomas recorded “In the Middle of it All” on After the Rain, and Alexander’s original here is as moving as her version because the song seems most like a pure expression of being lost in a moment. In the others, the effort to fit the narrative into a rhyme and rhythm shows, which makes the songs’ fabricated nature evident. That you care about the dramas anyway is a testament to Alexander’s voice.

The additional material is nice to have, but little changed when Alexander and the Vaughn-led band performed live, and since every song in that set came from the album, listening to the album straight through is slightly repetitive. The demos at the end of the disc break four songs down to voice and guitar, but since the recorded versions are built on the voice and guitar, they don’t shed much new light, either.

The reverent treatment of Alexander’s final performances is deserved, but the reason to buy the album is for the studio material that was first released over 10 years ago. The rest is nice to have but unnecessary.