ALLEN STONE

Building Balance ATO

8/10

Stevie Wonder-worshiping preacher’s son relocates his mojo

Many of those who heard Allen Stone’s self-titled 2011 album were shocked to discover that this extraordinarily soulful voice belonged to a longhaired dude from Washington state. But following 2015’s Radius,

his distressingly slick major-label follow-up, the self-described “hippie with soul” was forced to recalibrate. Happily, from the first moments of elegantly funky Building Balance

opener “Brown Eyed Lover”, it’s dramatically apparent that Stone is re-inspired. Alongside producers Jamie Lidell, Jeremy Most and Nasri, plus a squad of co-writers, the 32-yearold virtuoso delivers one grabber after another, including the churchy “Consider Me”, the richly textured “Sweaters”, the high-stepping “Back To The Swing” and the soaring “Give You Blue”, deftly fusing neoclassic soul moves and hip-hop-ingrained production muscle.