aaamusic | On 16, May 2011

One of the first things that have to be noted about Sweet Defeat is the clarity of voice – every word that comes out of Jon Allen’s mouth is clear and concise. An artists’ lyrics are the windows to his soul and even though the lyrics on this album are not thought-provoking or revolutionary – the fact remains that it is still nice to be able to hear them.

Sweet Defeat is a soft, multi-faceted album as there are songs like ‘Time To Cry’ when Jon Allen takes on a more Rod Stewart tone and then ‘Broken Town’ which reminiscent of Kelly Jones’ (Stereophonics) husky sounds; through these two comparisons we can see that within the album resides both a youthful joy and a confident maturity integrated into one man. If anybody has ever questioned Jon Allen’s trademark of reinventing and recreating early Rock’n’Roll then this album should shut them up for about an hour. ‘Love’s Made A Fool Out Of Me’ utilizes just the right amount of subtlety between the soaring backing vocals and amplified guitar, lethargic snare and retiring bass to recreate the energy of the genre of the ‘60’s with all of its authenticity and modernity and minus the cheese.

No matter how great the album is, for those whose musical inclinations are very much steeped in the here-and-now, it does take a while to warm up to; but the truth remains that there is enough talent in this album to make it universally listenable. Perhaps Jon Allen can use this album to reinvigorate interest in a musical heritage lost to time. ..and gain some accolades for his self.

Author: Angel Lambo