ryantrek
10/24/08, 11:27 AM
Allred - The Sound
Record Label: None
Release Date: October 4, 2008
There’s a lot to be said about the thousands of solo projects popping up from every person with a guitar and a microphone because roughly 90 percent of these suffer from a brutal lack of creativity and/or talent. John Allred’s new album assures that he belongs in the top of the remaining 10 percent. As a result of his vocal and instrumental strengths, Allred has been a well-known name throughout the Salt Lake City music scene for a number of years and with the recent release of The Sound, he has shown his potential to expand his following beyond Utah and the Midwest. The support for Allred goes beyond the regular “local band” appeal. The major bands that he shares the stage with (which is quite an impressive list) never fail to recognize him for his phenomenal musicianship.
Allred has been releasing albums since 2005, however, The Sound seems to be written with some extra finesse to it. The album experiments with many aspects of electronic music and many of the tracks lean on carefully crafted programmed beats. The end result of Allred’s acoustic background with some electronic influences creates some very catchy and emotional music.
The title track kicks off the album with anything but an acoustic downbeat song. “The Sound” showcases Allred’s acoustic-electric fusion. It's a nice blend of the two and it makes for a great single off of the album. The following track, “Miles Away,” keeps the electronic theme going with a strong vocal filter accompanied by an upbeat acoustic track. "Promise" falls third in the line-up and could be considered a more classic Allred tune with its looping acoustic parts and well-written melodies.
“Without Warning” is the centerpiece of the album. Falling directly in the middle of the track listing, this song features Allred’s impressive falsetto in the chorus. The song is much more grandiose than those surrounding it and it makes for a good transition into the songs to come.
In the second half of the album, Allred places two incredibly written ballads back to back. Potentially the highlights of the album, “Look Out” and “Luna” seem to be more lyrically personal and the melodies draws attention to the range of John Allred’s vocals. Also in the second half, “All These Years” comes as a nice surprise by featuring a guest artist on the ukulele making a very fun and innovative feel.
The album, as a whole, is very solid. None of the tracks can be considered “fillers,” as they all fall together very nicely and the lyrics are all meaningful and have genuine emotion behind them. Allred’s music career has a bright future. In no way does he lack any sort of creativity or musical talent and if he is eventually given the opportunity to work with a big name producer, his music will certainly get the extra edge that will push him out of the local scene and into a larger spotlight.
City and Colour; Vertical Horizon; Jimmy Eat World
myspace.com/allred (http://www.myspace.com/allred)
Record Label: None
Release Date: October 4, 2008
There’s a lot to be said about the thousands of solo projects popping up from every person with a guitar and a microphone because roughly 90 percent of these suffer from a brutal lack of creativity and/or talent. John Allred’s new album assures that he belongs in the top of the remaining 10 percent. As a result of his vocal and instrumental strengths, Allred has been a well-known name throughout the Salt Lake City music scene for a number of years and with the recent release of The Sound, he has shown his potential to expand his following beyond Utah and the Midwest. The support for Allred goes beyond the regular “local band” appeal. The major bands that he shares the stage with (which is quite an impressive list) never fail to recognize him for his phenomenal musicianship.
Allred has been releasing albums since 2005, however, The Sound seems to be written with some extra finesse to it. The album experiments with many aspects of electronic music and many of the tracks lean on carefully crafted programmed beats. The end result of Allred’s acoustic background with some electronic influences creates some very catchy and emotional music.
The title track kicks off the album with anything but an acoustic downbeat song. “The Sound” showcases Allred’s acoustic-electric fusion. It's a nice blend of the two and it makes for a great single off of the album. The following track, “Miles Away,” keeps the electronic theme going with a strong vocal filter accompanied by an upbeat acoustic track. "Promise" falls third in the line-up and could be considered a more classic Allred tune with its looping acoustic parts and well-written melodies.
“Without Warning” is the centerpiece of the album. Falling directly in the middle of the track listing, this song features Allred’s impressive falsetto in the chorus. The song is much more grandiose than those surrounding it and it makes for a good transition into the songs to come.
In the second half of the album, Allred places two incredibly written ballads back to back. Potentially the highlights of the album, “Look Out” and “Luna” seem to be more lyrically personal and the melodies draws attention to the range of John Allred’s vocals. Also in the second half, “All These Years” comes as a nice surprise by featuring a guest artist on the ukulele making a very fun and innovative feel.
The album, as a whole, is very solid. None of the tracks can be considered “fillers,” as they all fall together very nicely and the lyrics are all meaningful and have genuine emotion behind them. Allred’s music career has a bright future. In no way does he lack any sort of creativity or musical talent and if he is eventually given the opportunity to work with a big name producer, his music will certainly get the extra edge that will push him out of the local scene and into a larger spotlight.
City and Colour; Vertical Horizon; Jimmy Eat World
myspace.com/allred (http://www.myspace.com/allred)