STAR New Music

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boston-born, LA-based pop maverick Sasha Sloan is steadily building up a stockpile of emotionally-rich, left-of-center pop that showcases a massive new talent. The first display of this talent came with last October’s ‘Ready Yet’, a deceptively subtle, gently pulsating earworm produced by Diplo associate King Henry, with over 11 million Spotify plays and counting. Now follows the sweetly melancholic new single ‘Normal’, its confessional, catchy chorus is set to become an anthem for introverts everywhere. These two, along with four other tracks, come together to make up Sasha’s debut EP, sad girl, released this spring via RCA Records. “I wanted to put out a blueprint for who I am, because I’m still figuring it out myself.” See her perform live in PDX June 19th.

 

 

 

A native of Southern Delaware – the region he describes as the “slower, lower” part of the state, and locale of Mercury Lane (the namesake of his debut album) – Allen has carried that mantra with him through good times and bad, whether than meant living in his car or rocking amphitheaters on Toby Keith’s Interstates & Tailgates Tour.

“I didn’t quit, I never will,” he says. “Stuff ain’t easy, and you shouldn’t quit either. There’s a big difference between busting your ass, and sitting on it.”

For Allen, musical dreams and a love of true-to-themselves artists like Alan Jackson, Aaron Tippin, Montgomery Gentry, and Jason Aldean brought him all the way to Nashville – and eventually around the world for an Armed Forces Entertainment tour of Japan.

Mercury Lane, Allen’s first full-length album, delivers upon the same infectious groove that struck fans in his EP. Kicking off with dance-worthy tunes like “American Heartbreaker” and “Make Me Want To,” listeners will get an immediate helping of Jimmie’s signature playful sound. Rounded out by more introspective songs like “Wait for It” and “High Life,” as well as tracks like “Boy Gets a Truck” and “Love Me Like You Do” that allow his buttery smooth vocals to soar, Mercury Lane showcases the many sides of Jimmie Allen.

Family, as suggested in the heartfelt ballad “Warrior,” is a concept clearly central to the story of Jimmie Allen. Carrying a piece of them, wherever he goes, Mercury Lane takes its name from the street he grew up on as an homage to the origin of his story and the people that molded him.

“Mercury Lane is where my journey began. All of the fundamental life lessons that shaped my values, I was taught on that street—its where I learned about love, life, how to believe in myself, the concept of never giving up, following your dreams and being a good person. I credit my time spent there with my family for shaping me into the man I am today.”

Allen’s hard-won dreams are finally reality, but he knows he can’t rest now. Often found in his back pocket is a scarf from his late grandma which he carries to stay motivated.

“To me it serves as a constant reminder of where I came from, what it took to get me here, and my drive to keep pushing forward,” he says.

With that attitude, it seems like this is just the beginning for Allen.

 

Sara Bareilles has returned to the studio and the tour bus! Enjoy her new track “Fire”.

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