Chewelah, WA-based R&B and soul singer Allen Stone released a solid project last year, entitled Building Balance. The 14-track project features some of his unique releases from 2018, including songs like Brown Eyed Lover, Warriors, and Taste of You. Upon last year, he managed to sway the fans with other tracks like Consider Me & Sunny Days to bring that exquisite energy, and vibrant melodies he brings to every track. To start the year right, he initiated the Building Balance: The 2020 North American Tour and decided to give the fans what they need for this tour since the last time he did a North American tour was back in 2018. Known for his 2012 self-titled album and his 2016 release, Radius, the way he consistently performs with his guitar every single show, and for the stellar vocals and consistency with hitting every note through his vocal range, has brought Allen with a deeper connection to his fans and how his subject matter is bringing back relationships like no one ever. Allen decided to bring the Building Balance tour to Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre and brought London-based R&B singer-songwriter and Columbia Records-signed artist Samm Henshaw, as well as Andy Suzuki and The Method.
To start, Andy Suzuki & the Method warmed up the crowd with some of their nice original tracks and also covered some classics like The Temptations’ Papa Was a Rolling Stone and some other bluegrass hits. Suzuki was very interactive when he performed and had great stage energy that he brought for the crowd. There were also some great interactions between Suzuki and his bandmates whenever he performed. Suzuki also has a unique voice which kind of compares his style ranges to Teddy Swims and JMSN. He finished off his set quite well for Allen and Samm to take the stage.
Up next, Samm Henshaw came on stage to give some great London, UK vibes to the Toronto crowd and performed one heck of a set when he managed to perform tracks like Broke, Only Wanna Be With You, How Does It Feel?, The World is Mine, Church, Only One to Blame and much more. He played the keyboard quite well when he sang and managed to give it his all throughout his performance. Samm’s bass player, Blitz Rosales, who also did bass for Andy Suzuki’s set, brought some great vibes all around and managed to give sultry R&B vibes. Samm can sing quite well with his alto-bass vocal range, and he manages to hit every note with much emphasis and emotion on the sound and beat pattern, as well as cultivate the sound by hitting as many arpeggios and high notes as he can. His clothing attire to the way he transitions from performing with the microphone to the keyboard was quite stellar and very consistent throughout his stage presence. He also cultivated the night by performing a classic, as a way to celebrate International Women’s Day, by covering Killing Me Softly by Ms. Lauryn Hill and The Fugees.
Once the crowd became bigger and in full capacity, Allen Stone started the show off with stellar tracks from his recent album, with tracks like Miscommunicate, Sweaters, Consider Me, Lay it Down, and Back to the Swing. The stage lighting and ensemble of the stage was very unique, and I liked how the lighting setup was at the front, which gave an angelic look for Allen whenever he performed upfront. His guitar strumming and consistency by playing the guitar was very unique, and the way he was always smiling warmed up a lot of fans’ hearts as well as his bandmates. He expressed lots of vibe through each sound by either singing very well throughout his vocal ranges, by strumming his guitar like crazy, or initiating claps towards the end of each song, and closing off with his great hooks. He closed off his show with one of his classics, Brown Eyed Lover, but did an encore with an acoustic to one of his songs, Bed I Made, and also performed Unaware, as well.
Allen Stone will continue on his Building Balance: 2020 North American tour until April 5th, 2020 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego, California. You can find out more on https://www.allenstone.com/tour.
Allen Stone
Samm Henshaw
Andy Suzuki & The Method
By: Joshua Habtwold | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!
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