Artist: Jon Allen
Album: Sweet Defeat
Bitrate: 223kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: One Little Indian
Genre: Rock
Size: 68.60 megs
PlayTime: 0h 40min 36sec total
Rip Date: 2011-08-16
Store Date: 2011-06-24
Track List:
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01. Joanna 4:03
02. Stealing Away 2:44
03. Time To Cry 3:14
04. Broken Town 4:26
05. Lucky I Guess 3:28
06. Think Of You 3:32
07. Sweet Defeat 3:47
08. Love's Made A Fool Out Of Me 3:08
09. Here Tonight 3:59
10. No One Gets Out Of Here Alive 4:45
11. Last Orders 3:30
Release Notes:
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Where a slow-burning, word of mouth campaign was hugely beneficial to Jon Allen
û his debut album, 2009Æs Dead ManÆs Suit, was given a sizeable leg-up by one
trackÆs use in a Land Rover campaign, while champions included Jo Whiley, Jools
Holland and Emmylou Harris û second album Sweet Defeat not only has the task of
matching this, but is also burdened with the albatross of assumed instant
impact. But it seems as though thatÆs the last thing Allen is worried about.
While his passport may substantiate the on-paper Britishness of this
Hampshire-born artist, his yarns and philosophies paint a picture of a grizzled
American folk musician, decades of abandon behind him. Sweet Defeat, in this
vein, employs good honest rock'n'roll ideals, actioned via a collection of
simple, folksy melodies.
Opener Joanna offers a thoughtful helping of drive-along Americana, while the
bluesy strum and unembroidered narrative of Lucky I Guess lightens the tone. But
the remainder of Sweet Defeat is largely an introverted, country-flecked affair,
with a serene modesty permeating proceedings. A few sparse examples of sober
attitude depict a more ballsy side to Allen, in particular the teeth-bearing
stance of No One Gets Out of Here Alive. But for the most part, his subtly
gravelly tone covertly achieves this, regardless of each trackÆs own theme.
Truth be told, Allen doesn't have the most urgent identity. The robust, muscular
intricacies of his voice do unveil themselves over time, but on the surface
Sweet Defeat bears no quirks or gimmicks or immediate distinctiveness. And yet,
rather than resulting in generic indifference, it actually provides a sizeable
part of its charm. Sweet Defeat doesn't set out to conquer the iPods of a
billion consumers û it simply, and rather beautifully, illustrates the talent of
its author, on a level he dictates. And you canÆt help feel that, no matter how
many eminent ears he manages to prick up, thatÆs an understated tenacity he
wonÆt ever stray from.