𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: Broken Love Song - Rich Allen

Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly - an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜 - 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣

Charles celebrates 5 years of Connolly's Corner…

Well...!! Here we are again, with another instalment of the CC machine. But this one is a little special. It's one that I never really thought I would reach. I have been writing these things every single week for five years. Five bloody years, can you believe?! That's the age of the New Artist Spotlight. Half a decade! You all know this as Tuesday Review Day, but for me it's Monday. I always write these on Mondays. To me, Monday means writing day. It's my weekly dose of creativity, where my mind goes wherever it wishes. Monday is never free, for I am busy doing this. Just this. Yes, it takes most of the day. It may seem like a half-hour dash, but it's really not. Hence why I'm stunned to have reached this milestone. What milestone...? Well, my 250th review, of course!!! What a lotta woyds.

I would like to thank those who bother to read my articles every week without fail, and then write the most thoughtful comment underneath. It’s your time and your effort, so I very much appreciate it. But I hope you’re doing it for selfish reasons - because you want to, rather than “to show support”. This is the RIGHT kind of selfish. You people are the reason I keep going with them. I would like NOT to thank those who (for some reason) pretend to read them and either write a generic comment that could apply to any single article, or give the article to a robot so the robot can write a comment. This is sick, rude, insulting and a lie. I despise liars. For me, lying is the very worst trait below criminal law breaking. Honesty means everything to me. Which is the main reason I so despise HAL (A.I.) in art and creation. Yep, like a broken record I'm harping on about this old chestnut again. A lot has changed in music since I started writing these things. "In the old days", the only thing I would have to listen out for was “vocal packs”: pre-made vocal tracks, complete with words and melody, sung to perfection and mixed impeccably, available to buy (or steal) on the internet. To me, this was cheating, and frankly a waste of time. It meant that the "artist" would not have to bother writing a melody or lyrics, would not have to sing or have the tricky task of finding an excellent singer to record, and would certainly not have to work out how to mix vocals. All they really had to do was stick in a few VERY simple chords, repeating from beginning to end, and add a beat. Hence why so much music has turned into generic muck. The thing is, I avoided this second-hand flab rather easily. It wasn't so much lying as laziness, and it simply didn't warrant a place in my Corner. HAL, however, is an entirely different kettle of cod.

When I say "HAL", I mean pure HAL. I mean type a few words and generate a song with one click. There is more thought, effort and talent in writing a shopping list. A shopping list would also probably take longer. However, it's not the ultra laze that gets to me. It irks me, but it doesn't cripple and crush me. It doesn't turn my brain inside out and make me question everything in the world. Laziness is not a good trait, but it doesn't feel harmful. It feels pointless. Switching from ultra laze to ultra LIES, though, is what truly depresses me. Having to have my detective mode permanently switched on is exhausting. I crave the days of simply listening to music, and deciding whether I like it or not. You see, I have not met or known one single HAL "artist" who has admitted right from the start that they are not proper artists and that they generate their releases with one click. If truth enters the equation, what is the point in releasing these things? I could never see why anyone would choose to do such a thing if not trying to pretend they have talent when they don't. It simply makes no sense. Hence the lies. The point is to pretend they created this "art" themselves. Now, this could be that they're trying to tell themselves that this is in fact an alternative way of creating art (lying to themselves), or it could simply be that they know exactly what they're doing, and that they are attempting to deceive any listeners they might have. I don’t mind if someone is a terrible artist. They’re trying their best and they’re completely failing. So what? They’re trying! They’re bothering. They’re not lying. I’d rather honest garbage from a human than dishonest mediocrity from a machine. This is supposed to be ART, for Christ’s sake!!! It has got to the point that I admire anyone who genuinely makes their own music and doesn’t pretend, regardless of the quality or talent. How awful is that?? Art is being upheld by the honest. And what with there being so few honest people in the world, the true art world is getting smaller and smaller.

And you thought the 250th “episode” would be a jolly thing… Very sorry to have soured what could have been a perfectly good vibe. The good news is, I can now bring you that good vibe. I can bring you the polar opposite of HAL. The flip-side of lies. Possibly the most honest man in the whole of the New Artist Spotlight. A man who has no truck with robots. A man who simply does things the way they were always done, (before the world collectively decided art was a chore). He doesn’t have to lie because there’s nothing to lie about. He can be proud of his honesty. He can be proud of his art, because he made it himself. He can be happy and content in his retirement, for he is already there. He has his health, he has his family, he has his music. What more could a man want?? Well, I’ll tell you one thing he certainly deserves… Recognition; and a whole load of it. This man has failed to release a dud song since his very first solo single. He is consistent like a pro. Actually, most pros are not this consistent. Now, 16 singles into his solo career, he has shown no signs of slowing down, and no signs of taking the “easy” route. Great art is not easy. Great ANYTHING is not easy. Consistently great art is rare. And Rich Allen, is more important than ever before.

I needed to make sure my 250th article covered someone special. Someone I know personally. Someone I admire. Someone wholesome and pure. But of course, it had to be someone supremely talented. Who could I possibly choose but the saintly artist, singer and musician, Rich Allen…? Actually, this was NOT planned. I purposely never plan my reviews because I like to keep things fresh and current. Despite often being sent early copies of songs soon to be released, I never listen to them until they are released. I don’t want repeated listens to taint my choice; we often warm to songs more if we know them well - familiarity brings us closer. The thing is, Rich’s brand new single, ‘Broken Love Song’, was not something I could avoid before release. And why was this? Could I simply not wait? Did Rich force me to listen? Oh come off it; can you imagine Rich “forcing” anyone to do anything? He is an extremely polite gentleman! No, the reason I heard it early, was because I mixed it. It’s quite difficult to mix a song without hearing it. I have tried, but it just sounded empty. I have had the privilege of mixing every Rich Allen release (I’m proud to say), but I had forgotten when this particular song was to be released. I only knew it was due for release at some point. Hence how despite knowing the song, the review was still not planned. It was released on Friday and I listened with fresh ears. I then listened to all other new NAS releases. One other song came quite close, but I felt Rich simply HAD to be the one for this anniversary edition.

Mixing Rich’s music is always such a joy. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s satisfying. Everything is organic and recorded in a proper studio by himself and other talented folk. Every single note is carefully thought out and chosen. Nothing comes simply by chance. Every single pluck of the acoustic guitar or ukulele is different from the last. There is human feel. There will have been discussions and alterations made along the process. Everything is natural and professional, but nothing is utterly perfect. There is always imperfection in human perfection. Machine perfection is literal perfection, which is dull. I have spent the last few days quietly getting obsessed with Steely Dan, and it has been such a joy. To some, they are the cheesiest band in the world. To others they are the epitome of slickness. To most, they’re simply all right. I think the main reason I have truly fallen for them (astoundingly late in life), is twofold. One, the brilliance in complex songwriting, hidden within what could be conceived as easy listening, and two: their obsessive perfection in sound. This isn’t to say that I don’t go for a more punky haphazard rock, but what with my job as a sound engineer and producer, my ears naturally sway towards this kind of thing. It fascinates me. So when I hear Rich Allen’s raw, unprocessed tracks, I get all excited. I hear the musical layers, I hear the sheer talent in playing and singing, I hear the emotion, I hear the classic songwriting, and I start to think. I imagine what I can bring to the table. I want to make it perfect without being perfect. I want to enhance everything that’s special. I want it to sound like a record. And so I get to work.

‘Broken Love Song’ can’t decide whether it’s a happy or a sad song. But I can definitely declare that it’s a beautiful song. A beautiful song with style, class, grace, modesty, maturity and honesty. Something that, frankly, goes for all of Rich’s songs. But this one feels even more honest than usual. More open. I have noticed how Rich is baring his heart and soul more so as time goes on. It isn’t that he was lying in the past, but that he was perhaps not being so transparent. Telling the truth but maybe not the whole truth. A very dry acoustic starts us off before swaying into soft backing vocals, ukulele, pedal steel guitar and a deep kick drum. The bass and shaker then hold the tempo while retaining groove and bounce. Then, with all his usual heartfelt emotion, confidence and experience, Rich takes to the mic in a loose shirt. He’s been through it all. The overall sound is more dry than usual, which, rather than lacking in ambience, somehow enhances the close, personal nature of it all. There’s sadness in this minor-key pokey gypsy folk, that is, until the uplifting country-inspired chorus introduced by the slide of the pedal steel. Major chords bloom throughout, bringing such hope and optimism, only to be brought down to Earth by the minor chord of the refrain, “All’s you’ll have left, is a broken love song”. It is the moment the song reaches classic standards. “Emotionally I’m spent” - what a daring line to open the song’s second verse. Instantly, we are in his world. The whole of the second verse seems to have the most emotion for me. After another fulfilling chorus, we hit the bridge. It’s truly double-time country this time. Now, I don’t normally go for country music, but there’s something about Rich’s voice and his arrangements that seem to make me love anything he creates. More versage follows said bridge, but then we get an unusual chorus where I think Rich decided to sit down and have a few sips of his beer. He leaves the vocals to Emily Coomber, his resident backing singer, and it’s amazing how different it feels. She sounds so relaxed, yet so forthright! But for the last 30-40 seconds, it’s as if Rich has jumped back on stage with fresh exuberance. He means every word of what he sings. The song’s final line is that of its first, rounding the whole piece perfectly. Honesty at its finest. And what’s the song about? It’s about love, of course. I couldn’t think of anyone with whom I’d rather spend my 250th article. Much love TO ya, Rich.

There will be no CC article next week, as I’ll be taking a week off in celebration of 250 of the buggers. I think I deserve that. But don’t fret; the following week I will be back!

Shameless plug because I think I deserve that too:

Do you wish to have your song fixed and mixed? Would you like some additional production or even a full production? Would you like that finishing touch in mastering? Perhaps a little sprinkling of magic? I'm yer man. Get in touch (on Discord or via the link below) so we can chat about how to make your music stand out. Leave the more complicated, dull stuff to me so you can spend more time on your art! Let me make YOUR music the way YOU want it to sound.

250 honest articles can be quite exhausting… Ah, bed. Finally, it's time to lie.

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