Reviewed by Dave Brassington

The extensive liner notes reveal Allen has had a long career in American country music and comes across as the ultimate "nice" guy. Instrumentally it is a solid country recording with plenty of fiddle, mandolin, steel guitar backing and is a good selection of new and well known country songs. The problem is that Allen's singing is, in my opinion, colourless and uninspiring. When you could listen to the original versions of such classics as "You're The Reason", "Tonight Carmen" and "Put Another Log On The Fire" you really wouldn't want to listen to Allen's rather lack lustre versions. In truth 'My final Rose' is simply bland.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.