27-05-2012, 12:40
online listen
pop central
1.5 from me and a converted 2.1 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - The Vision Of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOv4XL3yMZs
released May 22nd, 2012
![[Image: s27627j5vzo.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drs200/s276/s27627j5vzo.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
Although not the first contestant to play his own instrument on American Idol, Kris Allen benefitted more than most
from the experience, and his coffeehouse singer/songwriter vibe earned him a first place finish in 2009. Pitted
against powerhouse vocalist Adam Lambert during the show's finale, Allen emphasized his wide-ranging abilities as a
musician, playing piano during a cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and strumming the guitar for an acoustic take on Kanye
West's "Heartless." The instrumental accompaniment paid off, as Allen won the competition on May 20, 2009.
Born in 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Kristopher Neil Allen embraced music at an early age. He took up the viola
during middle school, earning a spot in Arkansas' all-state orchestra before teaching himself to play guitar several
years later. While studying business at the University of Central Arkansas, he also focused on songwriting and
recorded an EP, Brand New Shoes, with the help of two classmates. The EP's material showed traces of Jason Mraz's
folk-pop. Moreover, it gave Allen enough confidence to audition for American Idol in mid-2008, and he returned early
the following year as part of the show's cast.
Hailed as the competition's dark horse, Allen slowly amassed a TV following with performances of the Swell Season's
"Falling Slowly," Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time," and Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money." Although
he shared a room with Adam Lambert throughout the season, Allen proved to be the stylistic opposite of his
contender, whose theatrical performances often contrasted with Allen's unassuming demeanor and laid-back, guitar-
driven arrangements. Such differences contributed to Allen's first-place victory, and the singer hit the road
shortly thereafter on the annual American Idol tour. He also prepped his debut album for release in late 2009,
working with songwriters and producers including Eg White, Chris Daughtry, and David Hodges. The album's first
single, "Live Like We're Dying," was released in September and peaked at number 89 on the singles charts, followed
two months later by Allen's self-titled debut album.
Allen returned in 2012 with his sophomore album, Thank You Camellia. Purportedly named after his house in Los
Angeles, the album finds Allen working with a handful of producer/songwriters including former Sugarcult singer Tim
Pagnotta, Nasri & Adam Messinger, and Boots Ottestad, among others. Included is the lead-off single, "The Vision of
Love."
Album Review - from allmusic
Kris Allen very well may have been the nicest person to ever win American Idol, a distinction that doesn't
necessarily guarantee a fruitful recording career. He was not helped in the slightest by being paired with Adam
Lambert, a singer who exuded raw charisma and seems fated to overshadow Allen, right down to how Lambert released
his gloriously glitzy Trespassing two weeks before Allen's second album, Thank You Camellia. Then again, these two
2012 albums illustrate that Adam and Kris are targeting vastly different audiences and that Allen is quite
comfortable with his calling in the middle of the road. And if his eponymous 2009 debut was deliberately calculated
not to offend, Thank You Camellia is even sweeter, a shiny, bright adult pop record designed to cause nary a ripple.
Any lingering stately American Idol pompousness has been trimmed away, which is good for Kris -- his chipper
disposition is better suited for such sparkling, open settings as this. Thank You Camellia doesn't have a lot of
tunes that grab; it's a collection of growers that are as appealing as pure sonics as they are as tunes. Allen isn't
a powerful presence, but these songs don't need a compelling frontman; they need somebody to softly sell the
melodies and Kris does so, amiably twisting the rhymes on the hip-hop-ish "Rooftops" with as much understated charm
as he sings love songs. If Allen's detriment is that he's too nice to make a strong impression, that's also his core
strength: he's a good guy singing unabashedly square songs and it's hard not to be a little charmed by that.
Track Listing
1. Better With You
2. The Vision of Love
3. My Weakness
4. Out Alive
5. Monster
6. Blindfolded
7. Teach Me How Love Goes
8. Rooftops
9. Leave You Alone
10. Loves Me Not
11. You Got a Way
pop central
1.5 from me and a converted 2.1 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - The Vision Of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOv4XL3yMZs
released May 22nd, 2012
Bio - from allmusic
Although not the first contestant to play his own instrument on American Idol, Kris Allen benefitted more than most
from the experience, and his coffeehouse singer/songwriter vibe earned him a first place finish in 2009. Pitted
against powerhouse vocalist Adam Lambert during the show's finale, Allen emphasized his wide-ranging abilities as a
musician, playing piano during a cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and strumming the guitar for an acoustic take on Kanye
West's "Heartless." The instrumental accompaniment paid off, as Allen won the competition on May 20, 2009.
Born in 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Kristopher Neil Allen embraced music at an early age. He took up the viola
during middle school, earning a spot in Arkansas' all-state orchestra before teaching himself to play guitar several
years later. While studying business at the University of Central Arkansas, he also focused on songwriting and
recorded an EP, Brand New Shoes, with the help of two classmates. The EP's material showed traces of Jason Mraz's
folk-pop. Moreover, it gave Allen enough confidence to audition for American Idol in mid-2008, and he returned early
the following year as part of the show's cast.
Hailed as the competition's dark horse, Allen slowly amassed a TV following with performances of the Swell Season's
"Falling Slowly," Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time," and Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money." Although
he shared a room with Adam Lambert throughout the season, Allen proved to be the stylistic opposite of his
contender, whose theatrical performances often contrasted with Allen's unassuming demeanor and laid-back, guitar-
driven arrangements. Such differences contributed to Allen's first-place victory, and the singer hit the road
shortly thereafter on the annual American Idol tour. He also prepped his debut album for release in late 2009,
working with songwriters and producers including Eg White, Chris Daughtry, and David Hodges. The album's first
single, "Live Like We're Dying," was released in September and peaked at number 89 on the singles charts, followed
two months later by Allen's self-titled debut album.
Allen returned in 2012 with his sophomore album, Thank You Camellia. Purportedly named after his house in Los
Angeles, the album finds Allen working with a handful of producer/songwriters including former Sugarcult singer Tim
Pagnotta, Nasri & Adam Messinger, and Boots Ottestad, among others. Included is the lead-off single, "The Vision of
Love."
Album Review - from allmusic
Kris Allen very well may have been the nicest person to ever win American Idol, a distinction that doesn't
necessarily guarantee a fruitful recording career. He was not helped in the slightest by being paired with Adam
Lambert, a singer who exuded raw charisma and seems fated to overshadow Allen, right down to how Lambert released
his gloriously glitzy Trespassing two weeks before Allen's second album, Thank You Camellia. Then again, these two
2012 albums illustrate that Adam and Kris are targeting vastly different audiences and that Allen is quite
comfortable with his calling in the middle of the road. And if his eponymous 2009 debut was deliberately calculated
not to offend, Thank You Camellia is even sweeter, a shiny, bright adult pop record designed to cause nary a ripple.
Any lingering stately American Idol pompousness has been trimmed away, which is good for Kris -- his chipper
disposition is better suited for such sparkling, open settings as this. Thank You Camellia doesn't have a lot of
tunes that grab; it's a collection of growers that are as appealing as pure sonics as they are as tunes. Allen isn't
a powerful presence, but these songs don't need a compelling frontman; they need somebody to softly sell the
melodies and Kris does so, amiably twisting the rhymes on the hip-hop-ish "Rooftops" with as much understated charm
as he sings love songs. If Allen's detriment is that he's too nice to make a strong impression, that's also his core
strength: he's a good guy singing unabashedly square songs and it's hard not to be a little charmed by that.
Track Listing
1. Better With You
2. The Vision of Love
3. My Weakness
4. Out Alive
5. Monster
6. Blindfolded
7. Teach Me How Love Goes
8. Rooftops
9. Leave You Alone
10. Loves Me Not
11. You Got a Way
