| Reviews |
| • 5
(out of 5) Stars — The Daily Freeman - "Shadow
is a true rock poet, in the tradition of Nick Cave, Dylan and
Tom Waits..." |
| • The
Berkshire Eagle - "An original storyteller… not
since Lou Reed…have images of New York…been so aptly
paired…Like Reed, Shadow has the poet’s gift…" |
| • WAMC-FM - "’King
Kong Serenade’ really reminds me of early Lou Reed, Jim
Carroll and Bruce Springsteen." |
| • Chronogram - "Shadow
walks the same New York streets as Lou Reed before him, another
bard of the underbelly of Gotham, creating verbal mosaics out
of urban decay." |
| • all-reviews.com - "Allen
Shadow gives a classic performance that will surely raise some
eyebrows in the entertainment sector... It rocks with passion
and the hot burning intensity of a 100 degree sidewalk." |
| • NY
Rock - "The
disc smokes and burns like steam coming out of a manhole cover,
gritty and authentic, and fans of New York and artists like Reed,
Jim Carroll, etc. will find this a must-have addition to their
music collection." |
| • Roots
Town - “ ‘King Kong Serenade’ is a fascinating
album on New York’s dark side…the title song is
just about perfect… Sugar Street is yet another beautiful
black song…Everyone who loves Lou Reed and Nick Cave
will definitely appreciate this album.” |
| • Music-reviewer.com - "Shadow
is an extremely capable songwriter; his words speak, and his
music rocks, with authority. Tracks like "Downtown," "Crossroads
of America," "Hopper's Town," and "You, Coney
Island" are as authentic as word pictures as many of Lou
Reed's best works, and the arrangements have kind of a drugged
aggressiveness to them that is just about perfect. (King Kong
Serenade) will probably endure as one of those discs that will
be passed around and listened to for years." |
• Splendidezine.com - "Shadow
fills his descriptions with dark and dreamy, psychedelic-tinged
images that recall songs like Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man",
Eric Anderson's "Violets of Dawn" and Donovan's "Sunny
Goodge Street". The quintessential example is "Sugar
Street", in which the listener finds himself swirling weightlessly
from great line to great line…
Shadow narrates with the confidence of an old Hollywood detective
who has grown sick of the scene, but still knows his city like
the back of his right hand.
His loose verse allows the listener to roam through his darkly intriguing creations,
filling in the holes between his descriptive gaps." |
| • S.
Australian Roots 'n Blues - Urban grunge that is a captivating
mix of Garland Jefferies, Lou Read, Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine
from his 70's Television days…the lyrics sound great and
conjure up rich mindscape images…This is the sort of energy
that Patti Smith generated on her classic "Horses" album.
Love it! |
| • rocknetwebzine.com -
Definitely an interesting gem…This CD was very cool to listen
to. Allen Shadow reminds me of a cross between Lou Reed and Bruce
Springsteen. |
| • yahoo.com -
There are some amazing tunes..."Downtown" seems like
a rock epic; "Crossroads of America" matches the red,
white, and blue poetry of Tom Petty with the heartland feeling
of John Mellencamp; and "Hopper's Town" is a tense, urban
history book. Allen Shadow has true talent when it comes to songwriting. |
| • digmansworld.com -
Whatever your musical taste might be, Shadow sings with a new dimension
of coloratura vocal paint that forces you the listener...to visually
listen! |
| • dollev.com -
If you are a fan of people like Nick Cave or Jim White, you should
really visit Allen's Web site and give “King Kong Serenade” a
listen. |
| • allmusicguide.com - …at
once literary music and performance poetry…a gritty portrait
of New York that captures both the city's grand themes and personal
struggles. |
| • blah3.com -
Here's a novel idea - music with an emphasis on the lyrics. Allen
Shadow is a poet that uses music to get the point across, not a
musician that fills the space with words. There's a crucial difference. |
