After the success of his debut album ‘Mercury Lane’, Jimmie Allen tried a different tactic with his new EP ‘Bettie James’, released Friday. This seven-song collection is entirely comprised of collaborations, some natural and some that are complete misses. Overall, this EP is incredibly uneven, which is disappointing considering how promising his career was looking.
It seems like when Allen gets on a song with a country superstar, it elevates the quality of his performance and the song in general. Case in point, ‘Made for These’ with Tim McGraw, easily one of the better songs of this EP. It’s an empowering song that says that you have to go through struggles and pay your dues to make the success you earn all the more meaningful. Both artists get their quality time to showcase their talent and neither are forced out of their comfort zone sonically. But it’s ‘Why Things Happen’, a collaboration with Darius Rucker and Charley Pride, that is the apex of this collection. Though not explicit, one would be remiss to not think that this song, featuring three generations of black country artists, was about the race relations in America right now. I like that it doesn’t overtly state it, so as to not alienate portions of the audience that aren’t dealing with these struggles right now. It then becomes a grander message of why people act the way they do or what might just be a force of nature.
Unfortunately, along with the hits there are some misses. Lead song ‘Good Times Roll’ features Nelly almost more than it features Jimmie Allen. It is a song that one might consider playing at a party, but ultimately lacks any substance. Collaborating with Nelly on a country song is always a risk. For every success of ‘Over and Over’ with Tim McGraw, there’s always a fail like the ‘Cruise’ remix that was completely unnecessary. The other major misstep is ‘When This is Over’ featuring Tauren Wells, Rita Wilson and The Oak Ridge Boys. It honestly sounded like listening to three different songs in the span of three and a half minutes. At one point Allen thought he was giving a live performance because he introduces The Oak Ridge Boys before they start singing. It is then that the song transitions into a gospel sound that doesn’t mesh with what was heard before it. This disproves my earlier point that when Allen collaborates with a superstar that it is automatically a good song.
If you intend to listen to ‘Bettie James’, know that you are in for a rollercoaster for your ears. There’s no consistency of sound, message or quality. To listen to ‘Bettie James’ click here.
