Many things can be bought or taught to you, but for some people the most impressive things are innate.
You get a sense of this when you see Allen Stone, the young soul singer from Washington, USA. It’s a feeling that his charisma, energy, and vocal power were all fully formed when he came into this world. He’s without a doubt a natural, entirely comfortable in his own skin.
Stone spent some time greeting his fans near the venue’s back bar prior to hitting the stage at the sold out Blue Beat. Smiling and clearly filled with adrenalin, he stretched his muscles like an athlete before a big game as fans sidled up to him for photos.
Joining his punchy, funky band on stage, Stone kicked off the evening with the rhythmic “What I’ve Seen”, a song so reminiscent of Stevie Wonder you’d almost think it was a cover.
Despite his incongruous long blonde locks, comparisons to classic soul singers come to mind throughout the show. Stone has said his recent album is a homage to those singers and the time when soul was king, but the creativity of this blue-eyed soul vocalist doesn’t just stop at singing.
With songs like the hard-driven funk of “Nothing To Prove” and “Satisfaction” played tonight to an adoring gathering of 20-somethings, Stone obviously has another arrow in his quiver. He has a rare ability to make his original songs sound both old and new.
Although only 25, Stone has honed his live act to perfection without it seeming overly staged. His ability to connect with the audience was obvious, particularly during “Contact High” about a quarter of the way through the set.
Preaching from his soul about his problems with social media and technology, he then proceeded to tell us about the beauty of real human connections. He not only connected the entire room by asking people to put away their phones and build a memory in their brains, but also introduced himself to a number of people individually in the crowd. You could hear shrieks.
The singer proved throughout the night that he could work a room, suggesting that he learned a lot from his preacher father. As a child, Stone used to front services and sing in church, and this skill set is still obvious today.
The snappy “Sleep” and almost too pretty “Celebrate Tonight”, both recent recipients of decent radio play, were rolled out and lapped up by the vivacious crowd. The gathered were bearing witness!
Two covers best exhibited the love of funk and general feeling of happiness that Stone was feeling during the show. The Rufus-Chaka Khan number “Tell Me Something Good” morphed into Stone’s “Unaware” and triggered a full crowd sing-along, while a version of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” showcased the quieter, more reflective side of his voice.
Stone’s ability to move a room and connect with an audience was charmingly impressive. It was an amazing and intimate gig, and won’t be easily forgotten by those who experienced it. If every person who enjoyed the show tells 20 people about it, don’t expect to see him in another small venue anytime soon.
Throw in a few horns and some backing vocalists next time, and you could probably call it The Allen Stone Soul Picnic Revue.
