Robert Allen, the man who makes music under the sobriquet of DownTown Mystic, is a sonic torchbearer, a light in these creatively dark times. Having grown up in an age where many bands regarded as movers and shakers of the times are now considered classic acts and have achieved iconic status, he makes music that echoes those times.
It is easy to see the stepping stones through the music eras that his music navigates, hopping deftly through the echoes of everything from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Tom Petty to Dave Edmunds and on to the present day.
It is also worth mentioning that in his musical endeavors, he is joined by an array of world-class players, not least Garry Tallent & Max Weinberg, the rhythm section of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, who, as we all know, has been scientifically proven to be the best backing band in the world.
“The Wish,” his latest single, is a lush and luxuriously textured, med-pace piece, a weave of guitar textures chime and drive; the beats and bass line are understated, unfussy, and unbeatable in the way they serve the song, and Allen’s warm and wonderous vocals are the icing on this very appealing sonic cake.
Gorgeous stuff, indeed.
