Because he is always running after that flame of raw, soulful rock, Allan Jamisen and his song Rock & Roll American resembles a discovery of a lost treasure in an old vinyl record store. It is a love letter to the rebel spirit that feels like bluesy swagger with psychedelic flourishes that gives me a feeling in my chest. At first listen of the twangy guitars with Jamisen on the smooth, soul-dipped vocals, I was a goner- a bit nostalgic, a little heartbroken, but all alive.
The magic of the song is the feeling of timelessness and urgency. Accompanied by producer Danny Saber, Jamisen is able to create a sound that is simultaneously raw and refined, summoning the spirits of Elvis and Morrison and struggling with the shattered dreams of the present day America. The trembling accordions and the blurred keys create the psychedelic filament, the track containing the dreamy, 60s sound, whereas the steady beats and expressive guitar riffs tied the track to the hard-hitting rock.
The harmonies that accompany the vocals provide the effect of warmth, so that each note sounds like a confession.The emotional weight got me most. It is not only a rock song, but a song of disillusionment, a kind of meditation on the hurt of a country that has lost its path but has not yet lost hope. That tension, confident but vulnerable, like he is singing through the cracks of a broken dream, is in Jamisen’s voice. The fade-out, which is hypnotically swirling, made me think about how I also loved the defiant spirit in which rock used to promise.
The song is a stylish, bold success that finds a balance between nostalgia and a very contemporary edge, which is called Rock & Roll American. It is a powerful song and Jamisen, whose decades of genre-blending and storytelling have produced this art, is a rallying cry to every person with the ember of what still might be. I cannot wait to listen to the rest of his future releases.
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