TALL DARK STRANGER:  SINGING WITH FEELING
(Excerpts)
by Cindy Watts- Murfreesboro Daily News Journal, 5/01

Dee Allen sits in a parking lot in the back of his SUV.  With his guitar resting on his knee, he begins to sing one of his original songs.  Will Allen chimes in harmony vocals as Dee begins the chorus, and the two sing the song with such enthusiasm, no one would ever know they were giving a parking-lot performance for only one person.

But that's their style.

Their band, Tall Dark Stranger, is centered around music.  TDS isn't about how many people they play for or how much money there is to be made, the guys say.  And that just may be a good thing, because right now, they admit, there isn't a large amount of either.

Dee and Will make music for music's sake, and they hope it shows, not only in the quality of their performances, but also in the caliber of the songs.

Tall Dark Stranger will showcase its songs at Borders Books, Music and Cafe in Brentwood this Saturday and Borders on West End in Nashville Thursday, June 14.

Dee- the son of Duane Allen, balladeer for the popular country group The Oak Ridge Boys- is the principal songwriter for TDS and prefers to write about issues close to his heart.  In "March's Song", a ballad he penned and named for his infant nephew, Dee encourages the boy to sing loud in the face of a world that might not always be willing to pay attention.  And he reminds March that when he feels like no one wants to listen, he can always sing with his uncle.

"There are enough songs out there that are pleasing to the ear, but void of any emotional core," says Dee, a graduate of the MTSU recording-industry program.  "You can certainly make a lot of money with songs like that, but it wouldn't make me happy singing words I didn't feel.  Songwriting is a
necessary outlet for me, much like writing in a journal."

"We're not trying to fit any predetermined look or sound," says Dee.  "The only valuable thing an artist has to offer the world is the most true and honest representation of himself.  By trying to mold your work into a more acceptable format, you're getting away from that."

"People are very hung up on labels now, but good songwriting transcends all of that.  The artists who
make a difference in music are the ones who do what they like and let the masses come to them, instead of the other way around.  That way, if you never make it big, at least you can have the satisfaction of
playing music that you love.  It takes a lot longer, but it's the only way I know to get where I want to
be, so the struggle is worth it."

For more information on Tall Dark Stranger, or to hear their music, log on to their Web site at www.talldarkstranger.net.