Arkansas' 'Idol' Kris Allen Shines on Self-Titled Debut Album

Douglas Boultinghouse
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Courtesy of Amazon

'Kris Allen'

   Kris Allen, the Conway native who took the top spot on the latest season of ‘American Idol,’ will release his first major-label album on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

   After winning the competition, Allen signed with Jive Records to release his debut album. Though considered his debut album, “Kris Allen,” is actually a follow-up to the independent album “Brand New Shoes” he released two years before.

   Allen partnered with AOL to provide an early stream of the new album on the Web site’s “First Listen” feature.

   The album’s first single “Live Like We’re Dying” hit radio in September and continues to climb the Billboard charts.

   “We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to / Turn it all around or to throw it all away / We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em / While we got the chance to say / Gotta live like we're dying,” he sings on the alternative-pop hit.

   During portions of the song, Allen throws in a little flavor of rap, which he pulls off well.

   “Live Like We’re Dying” also opens the album and sets the mood for the 12 tracks to follow it.

   The songs blend several styles, including alternative, pop, rock, R&B, and as said before, rap.

   Allen co-wrote 8 of the 13 tracks, plus the song “Red Guitar,” which he solely wrote.

   The album contains a few light rock songs similar to the first single, such as “Can’t Stay Away,” “Before We Come Undone” “Alright With Me” and “Written All Over My Face.”

   While those songs provide the energetic songs to sing along with, the artistic songs that showcase Allen as an artist come in the form of the alternative and R&B influenced “The Truth,” “Bring It Back,” “Is It Over,” “Let It Rain,” “Lifetime” and “Red Guitar.”

   The album closes with the very raw “I Need to Know,” one of the songs he co-wrote, performed by Allen on the piano.

   “Feels so far away / I want to see your face / Are you even there?  / Can you show me? / Can you make me believe? / I need to know,” he sings.

   The album also includes a few bonus tracks. Every version of the album comes with a newly recorded version of Allen’s cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” the song he covered on “Idol.”

   If purchased at Wal-Mart, the album contains the track, “Send Me All Your Angels,” which Allen co-wrote with Daughtry front-man and fellow ‘Idol’ alumnus Chris Daughtry, and if pre-ordered on iTunes, it contains the track “From The Ashes.”

Have a comment? Please e-mail us.

©The Voice 2009