Award-winning duo Allen & Allen announce
the long-awaited release of their sixth album, entitled Love Sweet Love,
which debuts March 13. The project is the first offering in over three years
from the group, whose past recordings have garnered a tremendous following
and multiple Stellar and Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) Excellence
awards. Love Sweet Love also marks the beginning of another significant new
venture in the prestigious career of group members Allen T.D. Wiggins and
Bruce V. Allen, the launch of their own record label, Allen & Allen Music
Group.
Allen & Allen, collectively comprised of saxophonist Wiggins and keyboardist
Allen, has long been known for its pioneering musical genre bending, an
approach which has firmly placed them in the vanguard of stretching musical
boundaries since their inception. Skillfully and impeccably blending jazz
and gospel musical idioms, they have arrived at a mix that is uniquely their
own and that has coined the phrase “Inspirational Jazz,” which best
describes the spiritually-infused syncopated rhythms of their musical
stylings. Allen & Allen’s rich tradition of creativity as both producer and
artist continues with Love Sweet Love.
Wiggins explains, “With Love Sweet Love, we really feel that we have blended
a wide variety of musical styles, so that there is truly something for
everyone. We’ve taken elements from Gospel, Jazz, R&B, and Praise and
Worship music and fused them into a new sound, while still using traditional
hymns and classic songs.”
The title of the new project is derived from the classic Burt Bacharach and
Hal David composition, “What the World Needs Now,” featured on the CD. Ably
assisted by the splendid vocal arrangements and background vocals of Take
Six members, Mark and Joey Kibble, Allen & Allen take what is ostensibly a
pop tune and create an arrangement that is at once sacred and yet universal.
Bruce Allen states, “We tried to take a song with a very positive message
and reintroduce it in an ear catching musical way without losing the
integrity of the author’s original intent.”
Love Sweet Love also contains Allen & Allen’s creative approach to such time
honored hymns as, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” and “Jesus Loves Me.”
Paying homage to contemporary gospel writers, Allen & Allen render their
arrangements of “Jesus, The Mention Of Your Name” penned by Donnie
McClurkin; “When You Praise” composed by Fred Hammond; and Darius Brooks’
“Safe In His Arms,” the Milton Brunson/Thompson Community Choir classic.
Praise & Worship music is also well represented by Allen & Allen’s
outstanding take on “Holy Is the Lamb,” originally popularized by Oleta
Adams.
In tribute to their jazz roots and antecedents, Allen & Allen honor the
memory and legacy of the late great Grover Washington, Jr. with the aptly
titled “‘Groover’ Washington.” This Allen & Allen original features a
tantalizing melodic sax line and step out bass performance true to the
musical style and expression of Grover’s spirit. Also included on this
anticipated release is the R&B flavored love song, “Answer To My Prayer,” a
song introducing the spicy vocals of Andrea.
Having crafted what Allen & Allen believe to be their finest recording, the
duo chose to make it the first release from their newly formed Allen & Allen
Music Group. Garrett Johnson, the duo’s manager and owner of Underground
Sound Artist Management, explains, “The formation of their own music company
seemed like the next logical progression for two artists with such a rich
history of changing and shaping the face of music.”
Going all out for the first release to launch the new company, Love Sweet
Love is being supported through an aggressive marketing campaign comprised
of radio, retail, internet, touring, and direct mail promotions. The duo’s
national tour will begin in Miami in February, while a simultaneous
multi-format radio campaign will target Gospel, Jazz, Christian and Urban
stations. A duel Christian and mainstream publicity effort will seek
significant covers, features, and reviews on both a national and regional
level.
More than a vehicle through which to support Love Sweet Love, Allen & Allen
Music Group has been formed as a means to launch new talent discovered by
the duo. “Both Allen and Bruce felt that working with other emerging
talents was just one more way to continue their innovative music and
ministry,” continues Johnson.
The first act to be signed to the new company is critically acclaimed
comedian Rod Z (Zeigler). Rod Z has performed with the likes of Cedric the
Entertainer, God’s Property, Trinity 5:7, and others. His upcoming video
and CD project, both entitled Stop Me If I’m Lyin’, will release through
Allen & Allen Music Group in July. Future talent to be signed to the
burgeoning new label will be announced at a later time.
Allen & Allen Music Group Records, including its initial release Love Sweet
Love, are distributed exclusively by LKS Entertainment, Inc. utilizing
Pamplin Distribution for Christian Bookstore Distribution and IDN
(Innovative Distribution Network) for mainstream distribution. For more
information on Love Sweet Love and Allen & Allen Music Group, visitwww.allen-allenmg.com/home.html.
action=”http://go.MailBits.com/Tell.asp?500834.1″>
type=”submit” value=”Press here to tell a friend about this site!”
name=”Submit”>
