By Rob Hochschild

July 2, 2014

Berklee student Alex Layton is a vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist whose talents in all three areas have generated a group of songs that linger in listeners' minds for both their originality and emotional power. The 25-year-old—who cites among his main influences John Mayer, Eric Clapton, and Coldplay—enrolled at Berklee in fall 2013 after graduating with a business degree from Boston College, where he also played collegiate ice hockey as a goalie.

This episode of Sounds of Berklee features a song, "Wheels," that Layton wrote about his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was diagnosed with the disease last fall and continues to undergo treatment.