Arty, airy and ethereal, Bukka Allen’s first solo record since 1999’s Sweet Valentine is a moody,
introspective, highly poetic collection of originals. Like his father Terry, Bukka is a master of dark, brooding melody and lyrics
that cut to the ethical quick with surgical elegance, such as “Slip through the hands of an angel/Land on your back upside
down” from “Behold What You Found”. The effect is heightened by his partners in the ensemble Screen Door Music,
guitarist Rob Gjersoe and cellist Brian Standefer, who follow Allen from the symphonic (on “Run”) to the psychedelic
(the searing title cut). In its entirety, Confidante feels like a movie score — not surprising, since that’s the primary
avenue of Screen Door Music. But the disc also proves a fine vehicle for the exploding talents of a rocking sideman who is developing
into an accomplished lyricist and an arranger of music that goes far beyond narrow genre considerations.
Texas Platters (
The Austin Chronicle)
BY JIM CALIGIURI
Bukka Allen
Confidante (Bloodline)
Best known as the son of Lubbock mafioso Terry Allen, Bukka Allen has long been an in-demand sideman who's worked with the Bodeans, Joe Ely, and Jack Ingram, while anchoring Austin instrumental trio and label Screen Door Music. Being this busy doesn't allow for much time as a solo artist, andConfidante, his second disc, was seven years in the making. It's filled with songs dark and beautiful, music that recalls the Southern gothic side of Tom Petty and the cinematic sweep of Alejandro Escovedo. His father's influence is most evident on the brooding stomp of the title track, but the epic "World of Pretend" and the shadowy "Cadillac Hotel" prove unique to the younger Allen's musical sensibilities. While Confidante feels mostly like a work of art, Allen never takes himself too seriously, and his distinctive flavor emerges, one that haunts long after its final chord has been rung.
"Confidante"
Bloodline Records
Bukka Allen's apple doesn't fall far from his family tree of his father, iconic Texas singer-songwriter Terry Allen.
The same gift for mesmeric piano melodies and literate lyrics marks the music of both, but the younger Allen's second album
shows his creative seeds growing in a different direction. Exploring the questions and quandaries of human emotions within an
atmospheric sound colored by symphonic splashes - Austin veterans like guitarists Will Sexton and Robbie Gjersoe, cellist
Brian Standifer and fiddler Richard Bowden all help Allen create the album's delicious musical layer cake - "Confidante"
boasts catchy ear worms like "Betterside," "World Of Pretend" and "Clearing The Fear" that would sound utterly apropos
on the airwaves next to the stars of Triple A Radio. And then to polish the apple of the family crop, Bukka Allen channels
his father's oblique impressionism on the title tune. Densely packed with musical riches and beating with a highly human
heart, "Confidante" is one of those albums you turn to again for reflection, empathy, and understanding of the ways we
live and love.
- Rob Patterson
