Singer/Songwriter Michael Allen Releases New Music

The country-Americana songs of Michael Allen run in the direction of his faith, and the combination is seamless but not without notice as they complement each other in the arrangements, and sometimes cross paths within the same enormously soothing and satisfying compositions. This is a type of magic music weaves itself through artists, and it’s abundantly noticeable in spiritual circles but not as much in the mainstream unless country is involved and cornering the market as it does. Come Along For The Ride is an album that puts faith and traditional popular music dating back to the 60s into modern perspective. 

URL: https://musicbymichaelallen.com/

Albums are somewhat discouraged in the current landscape, and Allen appears to know this, having released some of these gems in advance to the Come Along For The Ride album, so the fans get what they expect, but to describe it to outsiders takes knowing which songs are which. “Should’a Would’a Could’a” opens the album with a bang, so it’s obviously one of the singles already heard by many. It’s a song all about the what ifs in life, seeing everything through a smarter lens and living to tell the difference even if you make a difference, it’s better off to be holy. 

As the album starts to flow, “The Maker of a Man” is another beast altogether, with Allen turning in one of his finest performances early on in the overall picture. Some of Come Along For The Ride is playful, some of it serious, and this song falls under the latter. And the band plays on with “Life In The Slow Lane” talking not only a humorous turn, but it’s also a welcome musical journey, and not the only one on the album.

“Come Along For The Ride” is the title track, also released as a single and video, and it should be recognized as one of the albums foremost examples of what a talent Allen is in the songwriting department, with a track of epic proportion and then some. It only makes sense to lead with the album title track before dropping the whole platter, and you can’t miss the undeniable result as it takes the center of attention. “She Used To Laugh” is another wry story from Allen, and “Eyes For You Alone” is perhaps one of the album’s greatest of the singles with videos to show for it. 

Then comes the beat of “Set You Free” to sweep you off your feet with its mesmerizing pace and chilling vocal passages over its funky guitar parts on a song that could play on for fifteen minutes before you even notice. It leaves you wanting more, and “Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore” is the answer with a full-blown country ballad. The energy goes right back up on “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Future” and it serves as a positive piece of sound advice before exiting on a somber but mighty effective high note about hating what we become, on the great “I Don’t Feel At Home In My Heart.” 

Nicole Killian