Residing in Prince Edward, Ontario, David James Allen seems to be a very busy man. Doubling, or should we say, tripling as a producer, graphic designer, and singer-songwriter, Allen has in recent years been coming up with some nifty albums, that range from live acoustic recordings (Live at the Five & Dime) to lush, subtly orchestrated albums like his most recent one – By The Summertime.
From the needlepoint-like cover to constantly improving songwriting and production skills, it seems that Allen has honed his art to a level that certainly deserves wider attention, particularly from the audience that likes their music firmly settled in singer-songwriter/Americana genres.
It also seems that Allen often has his tongue firmly behind his cheek, as some of the lyrics on this album show (“Nuthouse’), and just makes it a bit better and more listenable. And yes, the album has that light summery feel, with those clouds on the cover still reminding us that all is not always that shiny.
Yet, throughout the album, it is quite evident that Allen’s songwriting has developed immensely, with his instrumental (there is an instrumental version of the album too) and vocal skills already at a very high level, and that has now reached a level that certainly deserves wider attention.
