“By Your Side” is the latest preview of Canadian alt-country auteur’s upcoming album Jubilation Potpourri
On his latest single, “By Your Side,” Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David James Allen provides a soothing balm for anyone experiencing tough times. Built upon an easy-flowing groove and featuring the soaring pedal steel work of Andrew Ivens, Allen sings with honest conviction that any of life’s trials can be overcome through love and commitment.
“By Your Side” is the latest preview of Allen’s forthcoming album Jubilation Potpourri, following “Platform No. 12 (Old Friends),” which was added to Sirius XM’s North Americana and CBC Music’s Canadian Country playlists. Jubilation Potpourri is the follow-up to Allen’s 2023 album By The Summertime, described by The Big Takeover as, “another treasure trove for those who haven’t yet lost the belief that music can inspire a sense of wonder when looking at the world,” and which Quality Americana described as, “a throwback to sounds of the 1970s… David James Allen’s soft-spoken singing style leaves a lot of room for dynamics, and the instrumentation is carefully planned, yet feels spontaneous.”
Allen says “By Your Side” was originally an attempt to write a more straightforward country song, but he couldn’t stop himself from delving into deep, personal feelings.
“I wrote ‘By Your Side’ shortly after ‘Platform No. 12 (Old Friends)’ in the wake of getting laid off at work and being untethered from a day job for the first time in a long time,” he says. “As I got deeper into the process, it became clear that this was a more raw kind of song about love and companionship as a refuge during a time of burnout and self-doubt. Through thick and thin, we keep pushing onward and upward together and that’s really the heart of song.”
David James Allen has been releasing music for more than a decade, but over the past several years—after moving east of Toronto to the wilds of Prince Edward County—he has been startlingly prolific. Beginning with 2017’s When The Demons Come and carrying on through 2020’s Radiations and the following year’s The Architect, Allen has been steadily amassing a remarkable body of work that stands alongside those of any of his Canadian contemporaries.
He cites Canadian poets Al Purdy and Nelson Ball for inspiring many of his lyrics, with a predominant theme being the perils of hard living. Musically, whether channelling the rootsy funk of The Band and Bill Withers, or delivering a devastating ballad in the style of Townes Van Zandt and Harry Nilsson, David James Allen’s music is built upon a soulful foundation few of his contemporaries possess, putting him firmly at the vanguard of the alt-country/Americana scene.
Finding the sweet spot between simplicity and boundary pushing is a goal many artists seek with varying degrees of success. For David James Allen though, it just seems to be where he naturally resides. “By Your Side” is another stunning example of this, a song whose message is pure, and delivered in a musical style that lifts spirits with a timelessness that defies any genre definition.
Upcoming Shows:
Feb 12 (Thurs) :: Oakville ON :: Moonshine Cafe
Feb 15 (Sun) :: Uxbridge ON :: Second Wedge Brewing Co.
Feb 19 (Thurs) :: Toronto ON :: Burdock Music Hall
Feb 27 (Fri) :: Peterborough ON :: Pig’s Ear Tavern