Jimmie Allen: ‘Tulip Drive’ – Album Review

Jimmie Allen’s brand new album, Tulip Drive, is out now, June 24th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

Within the first 30 seconds of Tulip Drive, Jimmie Allen issues a challenge: “If haters gonna hate, let ‘em hate me.” For Allen, it’s clearly something he’s dealt with throughout his career, from the struggles he’s faced as a black man in the country genre to being an also-ran on American Idol. Yet, also on the first track, the aptly titled “be alright,” he promises just that: “It’s gonna be alright.”

“This is the first [album] where I chose to write songs about my own personal experiences, thoughts and hopes,” Allen revealed on Instagram of Tulip Drive. The new collection features 11 tracks co-written by the rising star, as well as contributions from the likes of Seth Ennis, HARDY, Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, and many of Nashville’s other biggest names.

With 17 new tracks, Jimmie Allen’s Tulip Drive is a celebration of what makes him one of the genre’s fastest-rising stars. On many a-tracks, he stays true to the sounds that endeared him to country fans while also exploring collaborations with the likes of Jennifer Lopez (“on my way”), CeeLo Green and T-Pain (“pesos”), and Katie Ohh (“broken hearted”). While each track may not be traditionally country, they’re each completely Allen.

The Delaware native titled the album after the street his late grandmother grew up on, much like his debut album, Mercury Lane, was named for the street he grew up on. That dedication to his family and roots can be heard throughout the project, including on “down home,” an ode to his late father, and the album’s closing track, “you won’t be alone,” which includes a special moment from Allen’s young son. Another such moment is “settle on back,” a clear album highlight that’s a nostalgic ode to finding solace where you grew up.

In addition to “be alright,” one of the album’s most single-worthy tracks is “kissin you,” a simple summer song about the best parts of a relationship. Here he celebrates someone special and his favorite pastime of locking lips with her. “It’s your call how we kick it off // As long as it ends // With me kissin you.” Likewise, Allen slows things down for some sexytime with “love in the living room,” a sultry song where the title tells the full story.

Other highlights include “wouldn’t feel like summer” and “right now,” a driving guitar-filled song where Allen longs to have someone back. On the former, things like the beach, boardwalks, and road trips just don’t feel the way he remembers without that someone special.  Meanwhile, on the former, he’s pleading for his lost love to come back.

“If I had you back right know // I wouldn’t have ever let you let go // I need you so bad right now // And I ain’t afraid to say so // ‘Cause right now // I wouldn’t be falling to pieces // Wishing we could forget everything that went down // I made that mistake somehow…I’d make it right, now.”

Allen shows his incredibly vulnerable and personal side on “habits & hearts,” as he struggles with both addiction and the possibility of lost love. The piano-driven ballad tells the heartbreaking tale of someone battling addiction, and the risks to a relationship that come with it.

“It tears you up // It wears you down // You want to quit // But you can’t get out // Habits are harder than hearts to break // Habits are harder than hearts to break // Back on the track // You brace yourself // ‘Cause it doesn’t take much to come off the rails // So tired of seeing tears rolling down your face // ‘Cause habits are harder than hearts to break.”

It’s not uncommon to hear that albums have something for everything, but that is truly the case on Jimmie Allen’s Tulip Drive. While there are plenty of the driving guitars and twang that endeared him to country fans, there are a handful of out-of-the-box tracks that continue to prove Allen a crossover star in the making.

Tulip Drive is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.