CD Review: Jeff Allen EP – Jeff Allen

12 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on CD Review: Jeff Allen EP – Jeff Allen

 

There is a reason I pay extra attention when told a songwriter is from Texas. More often than not, they will write top-notch material. The latest piece of evidence supporting this contention is Jeff Allen‘s self-titled EP.

The 6-song disc explores love and desire with the tools provided by earthy country-rock. When there’s a waltzy ballad, the steel and acoustic guitar comes out; a honky-tonk rocker is driven forward by a cluster of electric guitars. The production, in the hands of Odie Blackmon and Kenny Greenberg, finds just the right note to hit with each track, making these six distinct songs which still come together as a cohesive unit.

The lyrics are the stars of the show and are emotionally weighty without being overwrought. ‘No I don’t want to own her/I just want to love her’, Allen sings in the ballad ‘Burnin”, a co-write with the producers. ‘Teenage Paradise’, remembering those first sexual experiences, houses the spot-on line ‘what we lost we didn’t miss, and was co-written with Blackmon and celebrated Nashville writer Bob DiPiero.

Honest reflection is found on opener ‘Wrong Ones’, co-penned with Silas Stamey and Josh Osborne, which examines attraction to a relationship that’s not good for you – ‘Why does the softest touch have to cut you/why can’t the wrong ones love you right’. Allen clamors his way through the lyrics reliving every ounce of the pain of being wronged. The driving guitars underscore the emotion by playing the part of the fist pounded or the foot stomped in frustration.

Seeking the comfort of another lost soul, even if for a fleeting time, is the topic of the Allen/Blackmon/Jeremy Spillman tune, ‘A Little Less Lonely,’ approached with honesty and poetry – the moon shines on the brave ones/who ain’t afraid to chase love/fearless in the dark. A open call to dance follows on ‘Nobody’s Watching,’ the second song co-written with producers Greenberg and Blackmon.

The EP saved, in my opinion, the best for last. Blues, country and good, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll are all equally represented on ‘Elvis Loves a Cadillac.’ Penned with Pat McLaughlin and Blackmon, this is exactly my kind of love song! – your sweet love put a spell on me/like a black cat bone down in New Orleans.

If country, rock and blues, in any combination thereof, are your thing even just a little (think Keith Urban, John Mellencamp et.al), pay a visit to jeffallenmusic.com to pick up the EP. You’ll thank me.

 

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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