Pour les fans de Funk & Soul et R&B.
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This self-professed hippie was born on 13 March 1987 as the son of a preacher and a nurse. His singing career started with him singing for his father’s church and playing guitar. It was not until his teen years that Stone discovered soul music, which led to a lifelong love of soul. One particular idol of Stone’s was Stevie Wonder, whom he has cited as being an inspiration to him.
Stone moved to Seattle in Washington in order to pursue a musical career. His career really kicked off in 2010 when he released his first record titled ‘Last to Speak’ which was soon followed by the eponymous album ‘Allen Stone’ in 2011. Stone has been constantly touring and promoting his music across the USA, particularly his much more successful second album. ‘Allen Stone’ peaked at an impressive number two spot on the R&B/Soul chart on iTunes and placed at number nine on the Billboard Heatseekers chart that same year.
Stone’s most famous singles include ‘Unaware’, ‘Sleep’ and ‘Celebrate Tonight’. He was awarded the honour of a Grammy nomination for Best Album for ‘Allen Stone’ and has featured on a Macklemore song, both of which helped to garner him a larger fan base and more mainstream recognition.
I’ve been an Allen Stone fan for years, but only very recently had the chance to see him live. His soulful sound is very distinctive, and I had reservations as to whether his live performance would live up to the beautiful balances of his studio recordings. As soon as Stone began singing, it was a clear reminder of his early days, singing in church with his father. His control and support wavering over his magical vibrato demonstrated years of practice of live performances. Stone really is at home on the stage.
The venue was large, and didn’t have great acoustics, but it didn’t seem to matter for Stone. He adjusted his performance accordingly making sure that the sound balance was just right for the amount of reverb. This was a great moment, witnessing his musical knowledge.
As Stone entered the stage, his enthusiasm and excitement radiated throughout the audience, and everyone was immediately enthralled to see the performance. He played a wide variety of his tracks, ranging from a Stevie Wonder cover, through to the hit Unaware. It really was a spectacular evening, an artist who goes from strength to strength when performing live. One not to be missed if you can help it!