How does a native of the Bronx, New York get mixed up in blues and country music? Why would a right-handed man play guitar left-handed, upside-down with five strings, in a self-invented tuning? Exactly what does Charles Baudelaire have to do with Merle Haggard? These questions can only be answered by listening to the music of Jim Allen. As represented by his second album, STRAIGHT TIME, Allen's music is like the bastard offspring of Leonard Cohen and Waylon Jennings. He combines American roots music (country, R&B, soul, Tex-Mex, etc.) with dark, poetic imagery leavened by just the right touch of self-deprecating humor. His deep, rich baritone moves with authority through sympathetic tales of characters caught in the dark underside of the American dream, rendered in lyrics equally influenced by the symbolism of the 19th-Century French poets and by the blue-collar prose of Merle Haggard. Backed by a band that includes his wife Barbara on drums and a couple of ringers from Texas who add the proper Southwestern touch, Allen retains a distinctive, quirky style in both his singing and his highly rhythmic guitar playing.

Allen kicked around the New York City singer/songwriter scene as a solo performer for much of the '90s, along with peers like Richard Shindell, Dave's True Story, Richard Julian (who's co-produced both of Jim's albums), and the late Jeff Buckley. Unsettling skirmishes with larger labels eventually set him squarely down the indie path, a route more accommodating to his decidedly non-commercial style. His first album, 1996's WEEPER'S STOMP, is a stark, bluesy, mostly acoustic effort that garnered critical praise from all corners. Shortly after its release, Allen started working with a band, and consequently, STRAIGHT TIME is a more electrified, up-temp, rhythm-based outing that its predecessor. The lyrics are no less penetrating though, and they're some of his strongest yet.

Allen's cause seems to have been taken up by a previous generation of singer/songwriters, who must feel a sense of kinship with his skillful, literate songcraft. Folk legend Eric Andersen, with whom Allen frequently tours, has called him "the best songwriter in New York." Cult hero Paul Siebel, author of "Louise" (a song made famous by Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt) came out of retirement to sing on the version of his "Legend of the Captain's Daughter" included on STRAIGHT TIME. With support from his elders, as well as from college radio and underground media, it's clear that Allen's songs speak to several generations at once.

Jim's Website: n/a