Review: Austin Allsup "Cryin' Out Loud"
Austin Allsup is a rugged musician whose dry wit and passionate musicality are present on every note of his sensational new alt-country album titled "Cryin' Out Loud" from Smith Music. Allsup is a country star in the making, and he offers intense, multi-dimentional lyrics and strong vocals that can only be described as a perfect mixture of a Texas country-style Eddie Vedder with the lyrical prose of Lucinda Williams. The similarities to Lucinda Williams don't end there, because both artists have famous fathers that loom large over their music. Williams learned the importance of lyrics from Miller Williams, one of America's greatest contemporary poets. Likewise, Tommy Allsup, famed lead guitarist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, taught his son, Austin, everything he knew about music. But Austin Allsup wisely chose not to rest on his family name, and he carefully honed his craft. Allsup slowly strengthened his songwriting, vocals and live performance by traveling