Allen Stone – Apart
With his fourth album “Apart”, American soul returns. Singer-songwriter Allen Stone completely returned to the essence of his own music. On “Apart” Stone brings his most beloved songs as we have never heard them before. Stripped of all frills, the arrangements reduced to the minimum, strictly necessary. Sometimes that’s just a piano or a completely stripped guitar part. What remains is Allen Stone’s voice, which is so expressive and strong that it can only evoke goosebumps in his listeners.
The album was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Ryan Hadlock, who we may know from his work with The Lumineers and Vance Joy, among others. The most standout piece on the album is “Bed I made”, an older Stone song now recorded as a duet with Alessia Caira. Alessia is gaining fame as a pop singer, most notably through her latest single, which is part of the “Blade Runner, Black Lotus” soundtrack. “Bed I made” is a truly beautiful gem, a growth diamond that gets better and better the more you listen to it.
Bob Marley’s “Is this Love” gets a very special performance on this album. Piano and voice bring the reggae classic back to the bare essence, making it clear once again how strong this song is in the base. Stone is blessed with one of the very best soul voices still alive, coupled with a tremendous ability to empathize with the lyrics he sings, resulting in songs that will captivate you from start to finish and captivate you with your eyes closed. . The best showcase for Stone’s unique vocal talent can be heard on “Where you’re at”. Here too, Stone sings the proverbial stars of heaven, accompanied only by a piano. Goosebumps.
Normally I wouldn’t be so excited for an album on which an artist with a still rather limited catalogue like Alles Stone wants to present some of his best tracks to the public again. In the case of this album, however, the result is a surprisingly beautiful, simple and enchanting album that is definitely worth listening to. Also for people who don’t know Allen Stone yet, this is an opportunity to get to know the great artist that Allen Stone is. For all Allen Stone adepts, it is a no brainer. It’s something to look forward to seeing him perform in the smaller venues with this. (8/10) (Atom)
