Thanks to my friend Leslie Monique Perry who turned me onto Allen Stone a while back....
Allen Stone grew up singing in big church choirs and in one interview he describes his early influences were Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Mary Mary.
In all of the songs I've heard so far, he embodies the spirits of Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and has a lot of Stevie Wonder influence.
This first song below is my favorite. Not only does it groove for days and days, but Stone sings truth to power and the lines are priceless. Singing about the growing deficit, the government spending more than it takes in, and talking about encroaching government who pretends to care. That's just in the first verse and he's just getting warmed up. Besides the substance of the song itself, I especially love the way it was filmed. The audio and video crew on this first clip did a seriously amazing job capturing Stone's true essence. Enjoy! GC
Allen Stone - Unaware (live from his mother's living room)
Here is a great live performance and interview at one of the greatest indie stations on the planet, KEXP-FM. Stone performs five songs: What I've Seen at 0:38, Contact High at 3:22, Interview at 6:27, Unaware at 14:00, and Satisfaction at 20:00.
Connect direct with Allen Stone at AllenStone.Com
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Connect direct with KEXP at KEXP.Org
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