There’s no arguing Max Allen has progressed from a teenage guitar wunderkind to a young-but-maturing blues player with chops. His “Ending Sun” album builds on his base of blues, yet gives listeners a record with a lilting twist.
Inescapable is the reggae/Dave Matthews/Jack Johnson musical thread that runs through the album. The set is less a traditional Stratocaster-driven blues/rock record than an homage to a groovier, smokier day. Lyrically, Allen still takes dives into the Duke Tumatoe school of writing: sassy and ribald words mixing with jamming lead guitar (albeit less than previous records) with plenty of room for the band to breathe. But the album stretches to be more than a record of blues guitar sounds.
From the opener “Three Little Words”, Allen pushes forward his agenda of a polished, powerful production while revealing a Phish and Dead vibe. Though he lets loose a few solos (notably a nearly two-minute guitar fire on “Lazy”) Allen, drummer Shaan France and bass players Dave Robie and Ethan James are steadfast in maintaining a sound that never completely blows into musical jamming territory. That’s a good thing, mind you. This is Allen’s best sounding and most mature record to date.
That said, there are bits of indulgent matter, including the aforementioned “Lazy”, one man’s ode to staying on the couch, watching TV, belching and masturbating. But for every poor man’s Tumatoe moment (and there are a handful – I’m looking at you “Master Bedroom”) there are beautiful chord changes and pieces of music that are his best ever. “Carina’s Song” soars as a mid-tempo lament, with bright major chords into just the right amount of minor chords to color it melancholy. “Know Your Rights” succeeds as a Bob Marley-influenced instruction manual on how to handle the cops when they come a-knockin’.
And then there’s the album closer, a stone-cold killer version of Tupac’s “California Love”, complete with some Auto-Tune and rapping. No song on the record impacts more forcibly, with lyrics or music. Amazing performance from a white blues dude from Indiana. Shows both the depth of Allen’s talent, and the brilliance of Tupac’s songwriting.
It also presents a reason for Allen to continue to grow as a songwriter. His playing, especially live, is simultaneously guttural, gifted and sonically beautiful. His lyrics and writing still have room for some stronger, human condition understanding. Each of his past five albums hints at a deeper talent waiting to come out. This sixth record is a worthy slant to his style, and shows a more versatile side to one of the core blues artists of Indiana.
Max Allen Band website
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Upcoming Shows:
Max Allen Band
June 4 at Booney’s in Avon, IN – 8187 E. US Hwy 36 (Rockville Rd) – 8:00pm
Max Allen (solo)
July 2 Chateau Thomas Winery, 8235 E 116th St, Fishers – 7:00pm
July 3 The Cabana Room, 36 E Main St, Brownsburg, IN – 9:00pm
album reviews/previews
Indiana Americana: Bobbie Lancaster previews new album; live version of "What You Do to Me"
Bobbie Lancaster’s new album “What You Do To Me” is out in the next few weeks, and she played live at WFHB (Bloomington) last weekend as part of their community radio fundraising. She forwarded me song she performed, and we share it courtesy of the fine music folks at WFHB (you can contribute@ 812.323.1200 – or visit their website wfhb.org. They are a great little radio station).
Lancaster has one of the great Americana voices in Indiana and this debut solo album sounds like it will be terrific. This is a tasty acoustic version of the title cut.
Album Review : BoDeans – "Mr Sad Clown"
Recorded in Austin, with lead BoDeans Kurt Neumann and Sammy Llanas playing everything (except for some horns brought in at the end), Mr. Sad Clown highlights harmonies and exemplifies the band’s ability to write music that is ultimately likable and hummable. No, this one is not a classic for their catalog I didn’t have that expectation, though I would have liked a little of the rock band rawness their live show brings. There is a controlled element to this effort. What they do best live is blend the beauty of their vocal sound with the push of a band that is more greasy than glossy. That’s not this record. What we get hereis a piece of studio work which trades musical looseness for a chance to highlight the sound of two voices who have aged pretty damn well.
Some of those aforementioned horns come in midway through “Stay,” the first cut on the record, and help make a good opener memorable.
There are 15 tracks, and the best combine raggedness with the benefits of more studio patience. “Say Goodbye” grabs like a key cut off one of their early albums. Agospel organ appears early in the song, and the music pumps along behind a chugging bass and some sweet-yet-rough BoDean harmony. Same for “Don’t Fall Down”, which wouldn’t sound out of place on their T-Bone Burnett-produced debut album Love and Hope and Sex and Dreams.
“Headed for the End of the World” could be the best track: It has the urgency and ringing guitar that propels their best songs, like classics “Good Things” or “Runaway”.
Buried near the end of the record, “Feel Lil’ Love” rocks like Cheap Trick. We even get some Smashing Pumpkins (!) influence on “Back Then”.
Throughout the album, there are embellishments found via the freedom of tinkering on their own production: a buried alien keyboard here, glockenspiel-type chiming there, and a variety of guitar styles, including some Duane Eddy twang and a Chuck Berry guitar distortion. Neumann has always been a loud roots-rock guitarist, and that gift pops up in needed spots to lend saw crunch throughout the record
Ballads like “If…” and “Easy Love” take more effort because of their pace, but Sammy’s voice on each has a beautiful yearning. Album closer “Gone X 3” is haunting.
After many years of battling a record company for independence, the band has become downright prolific, with three albums and a couple live releases in less than a decade. When I interviewed Neumann before an Indianapolis appearance last year, he mentioned that more frequent releases was a goal.
There’s nothing wrong with a new BoDeans release. We know they probably aren’t going to make radical departures in sound and tone. We get what we expect, and that’s a good thing. And then we will probably get the opportunity to see them live at The Vogue, where the best songs will findtheir potential, and the rawness and energy that ultimately make the BoDeans viable and memorable will make a return.
BODEANS WEBSITE
New Album Releases – Week of April 5
Spinning the Digital Disc: New Album Releases
Tuesday, April 6:
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – “I Learned The Hard Way” – Retro-soul, in the tradition of mid to late ’60s and early ’70s Motown, Stax, and the Philly sound.
Jakob Dylan – “Women and Country” – Country and spare roots ballads on love and life in tough times. Neko Case helps out.
Murder By Death – “Good Morning, Magpie” – from NUVO’s Scott Shoger’s review: “The band moves easily between genres and textures, from the mariachi horns of ‘On the Dark Streets Below’ (echoes of ‘Ring of Fire’) to the cello and singing saw duet on ‘Good Morning, Magpie,’ the hellish cabaret of ‘You Don’t Miss Twice’ to the rumbling, metallic drone anchoring ‘White Noise.’” (read full review)
Jeff Healey Band – “Last Call” – Final album from late blind guitarist; jazzy and some swing.
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim – “Here Lies Love” – Odd little pairing of two pretty big names, plus Tori Amos, Steve Earle make appearances.
Peter Wolf – “Midnight Souvenirs” – J. Geils Band frontman with an album that does him proud. R&B and rock done well. Merle Haggard sings a duet.
Bodeans – “Mr. Sad Clown” – Roots harmony rock and roll, recorded in Austin, with Kurt Nuemann and Sammy Llanas on all the instruments for most of the record, though a couple tracks have horns added. No big surprises; sturdy Bodeans music.
April 13:
Natalie Merchant – “Leave Your Sleep”
Trampled By Turtles – “Palomino”
April 20
Shelby Lynne – “Tears, Lies, And Alibis”
Willie Nelson – “Country Music”
Rusty Bladen – “Homegrown Treasures”
April 27
Melissa Etheridge – “Fearless Love”
Mary Chapin Carpenter – “The Ages Of Miracles”
Peter Frampton – “Thank You Mr Churchill”
Indiana Album: Finest Grain – "In the Story – The Adventures of Kid B"
The new album from Indianapolis band Finest Grain, “In the Story – The Adventures of Kid B”, plays as part song-cycle about growing up and, taken individually, the best tracks resonate as pop-rock gems, sharing sweetness and crunch and lyrics that stick.
Finest Grain – an Indianapolis duo of Sean Jackson and Kent Vernon (Jackson was a member of the Housemary’s, the two teamed up to release one album as Dooga La Brown in 2000, and this record is a follow-up to Finest Grain’s 2005 debut “One More Shot”) – use an acoustic guitar base that drops in strident but tasteful rock drums and cutting rock and roll guitar. Let the album play, because the early idea that the sound will be lightweight and atmospheric goes away. It never falls into that trap, instead driving hard enough to hit your gut as much as your head.
The record opens with tough acoustic guitar strumming and welcomes those drums. There’s some echo of Neil Young and U2 guitars in “Oceans Between (The Wayside)”, and the album takes flight with the fourth and fifth cuts, the melancholy “Thanks Anyway” and churning, anthemic “Better?”. While the sounds are familiar (think vocals reminiscent of a band like The Church or even one-hit wonders The Dream Academy), the album unfolds nicely, revealing a sound akin to an Midwest American version of Coldplay or a listener-friendly and accessible Radiohead. Every song loads up at least one little pop hook to keep a listener involved musically, and Jackson and Vernon craft many a chorus that earworms its way into your head.
They work to make the lyrics smart and music that lands below the waist consistantly enough to balance the cerebral and visceral. It’s a record that ends up feeling hopeful, helped along by redemption-seeking album closer “Coming Home”.
You can listen to the album online, as they are streaming it at finestgrain.com, and see them play at Locals only on May 21.
Indiana Album: Jennie Devoe – "Strange Sunshine"
There is a mystery solved upon hearing the new album “Strange Sunshine” from Indianapolis’ Jennie Devoe. From the title cut’s “Strawberry Fields Forever” echoes of the opener to the weary-but-powerful “All This Love” that closes Devoe’s new album, she takes leaps of tempo and the occasional genre, but never loses the listener. We take the trip – and do because her voice is so damn expressive. Makes you want to hold her hand and just listen to her sing.
It is the voice – the soulful, raspy, yet sing-like-a-bird voice – which Devoe and producer John Parish (Tracy Chapman, PJ Harvey, and Devoe’s 2004 album “Fireworks and Karate Supplies”) smartly push up in the mix. She’s a tough. She’s introspective. She’s tells her version on the truth.
They fill the remaining space (but not all of it – this isn’t a too-much-is-better record) with grooves that rock, gospel where necessary and some dirty blues.
Devoe and Parish have succeeded in creating a record that touches on influences, but never falls completely into what I call the “Lenny Kravitz Abyss”. That’s when an artist makes a pretty good record but listeners can’t stop hearing the songs and artists that were the main influences for the album. Early Lenny records were really pretty good, but so derivative it hurt him, at least until his third or fourth record and we realized “Oh. OK. That’s Lenny”.
But “Strange Sunshine” plays it right, giving us familiar notes and chords and ooh’s and aah’s that hit the gut, reminding us of how the best music is made – honoring the past while pushing sounds forward. The mix of Jennie’s soul and voice blends with music bubbling with an undercurrent of an unpretentious musical history.
Drummer John Wittman rides Ringo-solid with more swing, while Greg McQuirk’s Hammond B3 , Wurlitzer and piano playing is a constant thrill. His interplay with the guitars of Paul Holdman and Parish dives into the musical white space and subtly colors it with sounds of confidence and flexibilty. Church sounds. Stax sounds. Motown sounds.
The bass-and-drums of “Exit 229” make you want to swing your hips, as background “whoo-whoo’s” and handclaps support Devoe’s tale of the good that can come from driving all night. “Butterfly” (the first single) is slice of AAA/Americana pop that has Jennie gradually pushing her voice harder, and grabbing the song’s great sugary hook when it hits the chorus.
“Nobody Love You” is a retro lounge sound, circa 1940, all piano and Amy Winehouse, minus the sloppiness, heroin and makeup. It fades into the blues of “Shoulda Stayed” and the stark acoustic guitar and Hammond B3 opening of the hymn “I Break Down”. It burns. Amen.
Devoe wrote or co-wrote all but one of the songs on the album, with the Etheridge-like “Foolproof” contributed by another strong female artist, blues and rock guitarist Shannon Curfman.
Sure, I want to like music that is made locally (even if they went to Bath, England to record the record, like Devoe did for this one). And yeah, I have been fooled by a record and the first couple listens I take.
There is no fooling on “Strange Sunshine” – Jennie Devoe has made her best record ever. No mystery why. It is smart and playful, the past mixing with the now, the dirt grandly mixing with the shiny. And it is the sound of Devoe’s voice that makes it all come together.