‘Cause I got a hole deep down in my soul,
And I don’t wanna let nobody know,
So I’ll just bury myself deep inside till I can’t breathe anymore,
I can’t decide,
If I wanna live or if I wanna die,
Will this pain ever subside,
Or is this the last night of my life

If you can take the soulful lyricism and flow Musiq Soulchild, add a dash of Justin Timberlake, and slap on a layer of Napoleon Dynamite, you’ll get an unorthodox combination of a singer that goes by the name of Allen Stone. Washington State has been churning out a lot of talent as of recent. When you look at acts like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and the success that they’ve had as independent artists, the west coast (not only just California) is definitely on the rise like we haven’t seen in many years. R&B has been on a decline, but with the strength of Miguel, Frank Ocean, and other up and comers, Allen Stone has to be in the mix. The reason why a lot of people may not grasp onto him at first is because he’s white. Let’s be honest here – the music industry suffers from a physical shallow mindset that they can’t overcome and that’s why a lot of people have been overlooked (Hi, Susan Boyle); but that may change, who knows.

Vocally, I did not expect the voice I heard to come out and hit me like a boxer’s punch. One of my followers, Ashley, was tweeting about him, so I just asked her to put me on, because you know, I’m an open-minded kind of guy and talent is everywhere and I only have four eyes. She directed me to listen to his self-titled album, and one song that she directed me to was ‘Sleep’, and that’s when I was really caught off guard, because I didn’t expect for him to sound like that! The lyrics are deep and give meaning to today’s society.

Straight up, the dude can sing. Never judge a book by its cover, because you really never know. He has a mix of soul, R&B, and even some folk. He can appeal to a broad audience, and it has been proven already. JT may not have made music in a lot of years, but if this is what will have to make due until then, so be it. He has soul and overall he makes music that any-and-everyone can enjoy and relate to. I’m glad that I asked about him, because I’m sure that many people will be familiar to him in the near future. He has another project that he released in 2009 entitled ‘Last To Speak’ (I bought that on iTunes) and that is one solid piece of music. I’m actually listening to it as I write. This is good music, and since so many people are missing that feel good music, indulge yourself in some. I recommend it. Follow  @allen_stone

Bonus Song – Last To Speak

That’s My Word & It STiXX