Videos by American Songwriter
KRIS ALLEN
Kris Allen
(19 RECORDINGS/JIVE)
[Rating: 3 stars]
The revelation here on this, the debut of American Idol champion Kris Allen, is not that he’s a great vocalist—the world already knows that—but that he’s also a gifted songwriter. Many of the songs here are co-written by Allen and one or two other writers, but “Red Guitar” is the one song here he wrote entirely alone, and it’s the stand-out track of the album. It’s a power ballad, but a poignant one, and suggests that if Allen could be freed from the gaggle of producers who produced this, and allowed to write his own songs, he could be a serious contender. With AI’s Simon Fuller at the helm, however, expectations for mass success are so vast that liberating Allen to realize his own musical vision is not in the cards. The first single, “Live Like We’re Dying”—which was already a hit for the Irish band The Script—seems aimed much more for the charts than for hearts, and despite Allen’s impassioned singing, it sounds like the finale of a Broadway musical. But if “Red Guitar” is any indication of what Allen can do on his own, perhaps someone in his camp will realize that this Johnny Cougar’s got Mellencamp potential, and can be more than an Idol, he can be an artist.
Great review. Only small mistake is that Live Like We’re Dying was not a hit for The Script, Kris has made it a hit. The Script hardly released the song. I like the songs on the album and I agree Kris is on the way to success as a singer/songwriter.
Great reveiw, I just got my copy today (pre-ordered) and I LOVE it – agree about Red Guitar, classic song. I was reall worried that this album would be overproduced and thankfully it isn’t – his heart, soul and ability to communicate emotion really make this a wonderful piece of work. I am with you though, when he get’s to move on to his subsequent albums, it will be ALL Kris and less Idol $$$ driven.
Thanks for the wonderful review. I really enjoy all the songs on the album except for heartless and have much confidence that Kris will continue to grow as a songwriter and singer.
Great review….Kris has already grown so much from his AI days….I can hardly wait to see how the next album will be!!! This album exceeded my expectations…and I am so happy his song writing abilities are being recognized in reviews such as this one …thank you!!!
If you want to hear Kris’ own songwriting style go to Mediafire and download Brand New Shoes. 11 songs that he wrote and recorded in 2007. The production of the album is rough around the edges, because it was all recorded in just a couple of days, but the songs are excellent. So much talent from a guy who at the time was just 20/21.