James Blunt is Right…

James Blunt is right about what you say? Right about Drew Allen being a cross being a cross between Neil Young and Jake Bugg.  Turning his back on a prosperous career with Formula One car manufacturer Mclaren, Drew Allen chose his music dream. He now finds his adrenaline on stage. This is Folk done right. There is something especially soul pulling about a musician whose had his lyrics bottled up for another career, then decides his life passion needs to be his LIFE.  For some people, camp fire songs, jam buddies and Kareoke bars are enough; for others, it’s genuinely painful for them to hold their lyrics in their heart, it’s unnatural and they would sooner live a short life peppered with the love of an audience than a long life off the stage.. 

It was easy for me to love folk music. My parents were avid Neil Young, Bob Dylan,  Joan Baez and Joni Mitchel fans. If you remove the Beatles, Pink Floyd (and basically all psychedelic rock) my parents ONLY listened to folk music. In many ways it was the soundtrack of my earliest years. Without the audio sugar coating of drums and bass, a folk singer’s talent is easy to identify and FAST. A good guitar player, deep lyrics and a pretty face is not enough in this music market place – the singer MUST be able to connect with an audience. During a truly raw performance, music fans often feel the awkward intimacy of being so close to a stranger’s inner world, almost as if their music clothing was removed and they were naked on stage. I have not seen Drew live but his YouTube videos hint at a truly connecting live stage experience..