Kris Allen - Letting You In

Buy Letting You In here (iTunes UK)
Read my review of Kris' Something About Christmas here (MyFestivePop)

I somehow completely missed that American Idol alumni, Kris Allen, had a brand new studio album out in 2016. This means I've pretty much missed out on playing the excellent songs contained within Letting You In for a good nine months of this year. The plus side to this late discovery is that it is a brand new set of songs for me to discover - and a rather splendid companion piece to his just released seasonal album, Something About Christmas (see review link above). I admire Kris both as an artist and entrepreneur. The Idol-X Factor-Voice platform will only take you so far in the music industry - it is as much about cultivating your craft as it is solidifying and building your fanbase after that point. Kris has done an excellent job of both. His ability to infuse music with his own experience and emotions means he not only pleases his existing fans but is able to bring new ones in from across the globe. Letting You In is full of effusive pop songs and radiant ballads that deserve to be heard. All the more impressive that Kris wrote and co-wrote all of the ten songs, making this a taut set of tunes that focus on hope, optimism and the indomitable human spirit.

The album opens with Love Will Find You. It is not only an excellent introduction to the album, but a fine way to unveil the music of Kris Allen for new fans. Right from the outset, Kris is on a mission to bring a message of hope and optimism that is oft needed in a gloomy cynical world. The soaring message of the titular refrain of the song wraps around you like a hug, accompanied by an ebullient array of strumming guitars and percolating percussion. Kris injects the song with a vibrant energy that makes it as addictive as the melodic hook. There's a more electro-infused sound to Time Will Come, but it's no less compelling. It allows for a more intense, fiery performance from Kris that accentuates the passion in his voice. It is a narrative about realising how far away your goals can be, but continuing to strive to reach them regardless of the circumstances. The lyrics "I continue to make friends with the doubts in my head/hanging on every word they said" is particularly poignant and will be recognised by anyone who has lacked the belief in themselves. The song becomes a rallying call to arms, an essential musical pick me up that is more effective than any medicine you could be prescribed. Waves does exactly what the title of the song suggests it should - washes over you with a serendipitous majesty. Kris sings the evocative lyrics with nuanced insight, whilst 80s inspired big beat percussion feels like the musical equivalent of the waters crashing onto the shore. Here, as across the album, he brings the song to life with a vocal that is full on performance, not just a singing of words and notes on the page. It is a joy to listen to.

If Faster Shoes was released in the UK, I'm pretty sure it would be a massive radio and sales smash. A highlight in an album full of stand outs, this is one exhilarating ride. With a giddy, cantering pace, Kris sings of how you can't run away from your problems and (until you address the issues) how you will always be haunted by the mistakes of your past. It is sage advice dressed up in a swirling hand clap beat, falsetto vocals and electrifying drum riffs. It is a masterclass both in how to write thoroughly addictive pop and how to perform it in a way that gets under the listener's skin, ensuring it stays with them long after the song finishes. A triumph of talent over technology. If We Keep Doing Nothing switches the pace to ballad territory. Elegant, grandiose strings bring an element of drama, whilst cascading chimes give the song an elegiac aura of pathos. Kris is beautifully soulful here as he pours his heart into a plea for finding a better way to fill the world with kindness and love. The timely and poignant lyrics are poetic beauty, whilst Kris gives a vocal that seems to make everything else around fade away while he is singing. (It is rather fitting that, in a world of vinyl, this would be the most stirring finish to side A, making Way Up High an engaging opening to side B). Kris is a natural story teller and this yarn is mellifluous magic. He has a symbiotic relationship with the instruments that fill in the silent moments of the narrative, making them equal partners in his quest to give the listener the textured wall of sound that is so satisfying. The chorus is a lilting, languorous affair - a reminder of how to focus on the important things in life while you can. Feeling This Way ups the tempo again with a chugging guitar and riveting rhythm. It is all about being slightly out of kilter with the rest of the world, feeling like you are just a step out of beat with everyone else. The synth effects serve to accentuate that feeling of slight other-worldliness and are a nice pop touch to the song.

The title track of the album, Letting You In, has something of a country music vibe to it. This delicate ballad is a tale as old as time about the need to drop your defences and being able to trust & love again. It is a meandering instrumental with guitar and strings swathing each other in a relaxed, stately score that really lets the sentiments of the lyrics breathe and resonant with the listener. Kris has a way of saturating each word he sings with aching humility, like you are being allowed a peek into his most personal thoughts. If you need to take a minute to compose yourself before the next track, Move, you won't be alone. Still, it is a worthy successor - a slow burn jam that has a gritty, authentic feel to it. The seductive nature of the lyrics translate well as Kris sings of the hypnotic qualities of his paramour. It is bound to get your temperature rising - and although there are more romantic tracks on the album, there is something appealing about how this feels more of an instinctual prowl. And it then all comes full circle with I Remember You. Just like Love Will Find You works well as an opening introduction, this works to connect the dots of everything in between. It has a ruminative introspection to it that builds on everything that has come before and leaves the listener with a heart warming glow that will burn brightly for some time to come. A genuinely wonderful album.