Allen Stone - Building Balance (LP)

Allen Stone’s third studio album, Building Balance, landed on November 8, 2019 through ATO Records, and it captures a songwriter who has grown up without losing the spark that made him so easy to root for. The Chewelah, Washington soul singer still leans into bright hooks and that elastic, honeyed tenor, but there is a steadier pulse here, a lived‑in ease that comes from years on the road and a home life that finally feels grounded. The title is on the nose, sure, yet the record earns it. These songs move between head‑nodding funk and tender confession in a way that feels natural, like a good conversation that slips from jokes to real talk and back again.

The opening stretch sets the tone. Brown Eyed Lover rides a clipped guitar line and a bass groove that snaps, Stone stacking harmonies in the chorus like a one‑man choir. He had been playing it live for a while before the album, and you can hear why it stuck. It feels like a set opener, the kind of tune that gets people clapping on two and four without being told. Sunny Days follows with a breezier sway and a melody that lingers. The rhythm section stays tight, but the arrangement leaves room for his voice to soar, then dip into a sly little run at the end of a phrase. That push and pull keeps the record from ever feeling slick. It is polished soul, but it breathes.

Then he pivots to the heart songs. Consider Me is a classic modern wedding slow‑dance, a simple vow set to warm keys and a patient beat. It is sweet, not saccharine, and Stone sings it like someone who has had to learn patience the hard way. Give You Blue goes even softer, closer to the mic, and the lyrics land with the kind of directness that makes fans shout the chorus back at him. That is the trick with this album. The arrangements are tasteful and often understated, yet the hooks are undeniable. You get the sense these songs were road tested, sanded where they needed it, and left a little rough in places so the groove could keep its grip.

There is plenty for groove‑chasers too. Back to the Swing pops with handclaps and a rubbery bass line, a reminder that Stone came up on classic R&B as much as acoustic folk. Hold It Down has a taut pocket and quick vocal jabs that feel made for a sweaty club where the horns are slightly too loud in the best way. Even when he leans into relationship static on a track like Miscommunicate, the rhythm does not sag. He lets the band carry the tension, then folds his voice through it like a thread.

Part of Building Balance’s charm is how unfussy it sounds. You can hear crisp guitars, warm Rhodes, a drum sound that favors snap over bombast, and backing vocals placed like little halos around the lead. It is a record you can put on during dinner and then crank later for a living room dance, which is why it shines on Building Balance vinyl. The low end sits just right, the cymbals have air, and that voice, with all its little rasp and glide, feels almost tactile. If you keep an eye out for Allen Stone vinyl, this one stands next to his self‑titled breakthrough and Radius as a must‑spin. I spotted a copy at a Melbourne record store while traveling, and it became the soundtrack to a rented car and a long drive down the coast, which is to say it travels well. If you are hunting in the local bins or browsing vinyl records Australia has to offer online, it is an easy add to the cart.

The album did what good soul records do. It gave fans new singalongs, it translated on stage, and it nudged the conversation forward without abandoning what works. For people who know Stone only from his big early cuts, this plays like the moment he found a steadier center. For crate diggers looking to buy Allen Stone records online, Building Balance sits in that sweet spot where modern R&B craft meets old‑school warmth. It is also a friendly gateway if you are curious about Allen Stone albums on vinyl. Spin it once for the hooks, then again for the pocket, then again for the small choices that make it stick. In a year crowded with big statements, this one chose feel and connection, and that choice pays off long after the last chorus fades.