PICK UP HER DISC Amy Allen. |
Just after graduating from Waynflete and off to college this fall, Amy Allen joins an impressive cadre of young female singers (Clara Berry, Amanda Gervasi, Aly Spaltro, Marie Moreshead) doing great things locally.Maybe you've seen her doing pop songs with bluegrass outfit Jerks of Grass on Thursdays at Gritty's. Sure, it's a little incongruous, but Jerk Carter Logan has clearly taken a shine to the girl (he's been teaching at Waynflete for years), and he's helped her create a great introductory five-song EP with producer Jonathan Wyman, drummer Chuck Gagne (the Lucid, Pete Miller), and bassist Stu Mahan (Lost Cause Desperados, lots of other stuff).
On the title track, "Honey," an extremely charismatic mix of sassy and winsome, Logan's pre-teen fiddling daughter Sarah shows up, too, along with Jerk fiddler Melissa Bragdon and the omnipresent Jason Spooner.
But it's not just about the great help she's getting. Amy Allen has a major voice, with style and substance, a blend of Adele and Norah Jones (and I know that sounds like a PR writer's line), and she's got some serious potential for star power. People should flip for this girl.
Sure, a song like "Tomorrow" feels a little creepy when she sings about being 13 and 14 and it's a love song and they're talking about kissing and stuff. Especially if you have a daughter. But the cover of Kanye West's "American Boy" is downright sublime, all the more so for being recorded live in the studio. There are much more experienced artists who wouldn't think of doing that without separate multi-track recording.
Logan's acoustic guitar soloing and the fiddling are really cool sound elements, actually, since this kind of pop would normally have an electric rock guitar and synthesizers and probably manufactured beats, and, well, they rip it up.
It's a little Taylor Swifty at times, sure, but if you want to say you heard this girl when, pick this disc up immediately.
Sam Pfeifle can be reached atsam_pfeifle@yahoo.com.
HONEY | Released by Amy Allen | amyallenmusic.com
