Aimee Allen

A Little Happiness

(Side Tracked)

Record Review by Amber Henson

I was thinking about “My Humps” yesterday.  Why, I’m not sure, seeing as how I (thankfully) haven’t heard it in a while.  But it’s an interesting track, because I’m sure Fergie knows what a joke that song is.  Sure, it’s a guilty pleasure for many, but it’s utterly ridiculous.  I’m pretty sure she’s in on the fun by the way that she says “Check it out.”  Something about her tone seems to me like she’s laughing, too.

While absurd songs with silly subjects are fun, I have to say that I better appreciate songs about relatable, or at least more serious, matters.  Aimee Allen’s music is just that.  Although it’s clear she knows how to have a good time with her prevalent ukulele and the harmonies she does with herself, she is a somber artist.

Allen is a singer-songwriter, and her album, A Little Happiness, is filled with her voice, her ukulele, pianos, acoustic guitars, the occasional organ, and, on a few tracks, a very startling choir.  Some of her songs have a reggae or ska beat to them, and she does an excellent job of executing these styles.  At first I thought her album was of the "break-up" variety, but it soon became clear that the songs were just about the trials of life in general.  There are break-up tracks, but also ones concerning mental health, religion, and domestic violence.  I’m not sure if the title of the album is ironic or referring to how Allen is able to find a small amount of joy in the pains of everyday.

Track eight of the album is a cover of Sublime’s “Santeria,” which goes nicely with the tone of CD.  I was quite impressed by how she was able to harmonize “punk ass.”  Allen’s voice is low, very clear, and she actually sings each word instead of talking her way through the album; each syllable is given a different note.  Although I would have to call A Little Happiness something of a downer, Allen is certainly an artist that can deliver the sadness in a beautiful, pleasing way.