MusicScribe BLOG

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Producer: Aaron Minick
Website: www.allisonlynn.com

Song Titles: “Do You Wanna Be My Neighbor In Gloryland,” “Wedding At Cana,” “Abide With Me,” “Sin Ain’t Nothing But The Blues,” “Movin’ Up To Gloryland,” “Shepherd Of The Hills,” “Real Big Fan,” “In Less Than A Moment,” “At The Cross,” and “Faith Will Take You Farther”

Allison Lynn’s Real Big Fan draws influences from New Orleans and Broadway. Lynn’s vocals are brassy but not overblown. It’s appropriate that clarinets, trumpets and other Dixieland instruments figure prominently in several arrangements, because Lynn’s tone matches those timbres well. Her melodies tend to be decorative, sometimes shading pitches a little bit too much, but with a carefree approach that works well for most of these arrangements. This is a good example of a voice being used as an additional instrument, not merely a delivery van for the lyrics.

“Do You Wanna Be My Neighbor In Gloryland” is the first of three tracks written by Lynn. This song is the epitome of every characteristic I just mentioned in the paragraph above…a light Dixieland feel with sprinkles of clarinet and piano fills. “Wedding At Cana” continues with the same instrumentation at a more leisurely pace. The third track sets the familiar words of the traditional hymn “Abide With Me” to a new melody with a few additional words to complete the arrangement. A mellower vocalist would have suited the style of this track better, but I enjoyed hearing familiar words set to a fresh tune.

Up next are two Lee Roy Abernathy tunes. “Sin Ain’t Nothing But The Blues” is the sort of song that matches Lynn’s singing style perfectly…a bluesy mid-tempo number that would sound right at home in a New Orleans club. Abernathy wrote this song in 1947. “Movin’ Up To Gloryland” is a more familiar song that Gold City and the Cathedral’s both recorded in the 1980s. (Abernathy wrote it in 1983.) The driving pace of those male quartets versions has been replaced with a toned down Dixieland swing. Lynn renders the melody in a playful manner. In fact, if you don’t pay close attention to the words when this song begins, you may not realize it’s the same song until she starts to the chorus.

A Joel Lindsey song titled “Shepherd Of The Hills” is up next. It sounds like the sort of song Lindsey might have written specifically for Janet Paschal. (I did a Google search to see if Janet Paschal had ever recorded this cut previously, but I didn’t come up with anything.) Lynn sings this song like a lullaby. She’s more successful adapting her voice to suit the style of this song than she is on “Abide With Me.” The title track, “Real Big Fan,” is the next selection. Lyrically, this is the weakest track on the CD, but the jazzy arrangement makes up for it. A walking upright bass sets the pace while Lynn again becomes one with the instruments. The way she sprinkles a ninth on the final chord is a particularly nice touch.

The last three tracks are similar in style to what has come before. “In Less Than A Moment” is the sort of song Sandi Patty might have sung back when her last name was being spelled “Patti,” although the arrangement is less grandiose. The potential is there, though. Add a full orchestration, and you’d have something exciting. The CD ends with “At The Cross” (the hymn) and “Faith Will Take You Farther,” a song co-written by Wayne Haun, Joel Lindsey, and Barry Raccio. The arrangement of the latter is part 1940s Country and part Broadway chorus line. Lynn sings this cut with a sassy attitude, hitting her highest pitches on the CD.

Real Big Fan is a diamond in the rough by an extremely expressive and creative singer. In a few spots, the producer should have said, “Let’s get another take with less scoop on the pitch”…or “Try it one time with a rounder tone.” What I really admire about Real Big Fan is the concept of Dixieland meets early Country meets Vaudeville. I know I mentioned Janet Paschal and Sandi Patty above, but don’t go away from this review thinking this is a Paschal/Patti Inspo style recording. There are some moments like that (catch the pun?), but the preponderance of material here is a blend of retro styles. Another positive element is the sonic consistency of the material, despite the fact that these songs have origins in several different centuries.

Some Southern Gospel fans will be turned away by the cabaret tone of Real Big Fan. If that isn’t a concern and you’re in the mood for some lighthearted and carefree fare, venture over to allisonlynn.com and check out Real Big Fan.