Robert Allen says : "Downtown represents my Rock'n'Roll nature and Mystic represents my imagination" but imagination is one thing that's thin on the ground for his third album.
Lyrically and rhythmically it belongs to a different era so while it might have passed for fresh four decades ago, it sounds very tired and formulaic now.
On a track called History, Allen pays tribute to the roots of rock (Muddy Waters, Elvis, Chuck Berry etc) and his aim here is simply to emulate these heroes rather than add anything more contemporary to the mix. The 1970s is about as 'modern' as it gets with a laid-back West Coast vibe which apes the soft rock of bands like Poco or Eagles.
Aside from the raunchy opening track (Backdoor) about the risks of screwing a "pretty young lady" fan these are conventional songs of love setting you free, putting your head in a whirl or causing heartbreak.
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The pedestrian lyrics on Believe exemplify the level of complexity: "when I feel your body next to me - seems like it was always meant to be".
Allen has 4-piece backing band to go through the motions with and the biggest (only?) selling point is that the E Street band's rhythm section - Garry Tallent and Max Weinbeig - guest on one track (Hard Enough)
One for desperate retro-rockers only.
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