Kris Allen. 7 and 9 p.m. Jan. 20. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Eddie's Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.
This past fall, Kris Allen joined Lee DeWyze and David Cook in the ranks of “American Idol” winners who no longer have deals with RCA Records, the label that has signed many of the show’s best participants.
Some see this as a sign “Idol” is not producing the kind of talent that can sustain major popularity after their time on the show. Others speculate Allen, DeWyze and Cook, as well as recent champions Scotty McCreery and Phillip Phillips — all essentially guys-with-guitars-style singer-songwriters — simply aren’t the right fit for a major label that has had its biggest success with R&B, hip hop and dance pop.
Allen was two albums into his career when he departed RCA. His second album, “Thank You Camellia, “ was released this past May.
But if he is bitter or discouraged by the turn of events he isn’t showing it.
“It was pretty much a mutual thing, it feels like,” Allen said. “I had a great run there. They did a lot for me at RCA and I have a lot of really good friends and also mentors there, and people that I really respect. … I’m not going to say we didn’t butt heads at all, because we did, but I don’t think that’s very uncommon when it comes to artists and labels. There’s just a nice feeling now. It sounds cliché, but (it’s) like a freedom that you can make your own music.”
Allen is starting 2013 with the most extensive tour of his career, including a stop at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur.
The tour, Allen said, is part of a shift in strategy away from trying to get radio play and hits and more toward building a grass-roots following.
“I feel like doing live shows is the thing that I’m best at,” Allen said. “People come out impressed. And we put a ton into our live show.
“That’s how you build real fans anyway,” he said. “When you’re fans of someone like a singer-songwriter, when you go see them play, you become a bigger fan.”
Live performance is “just a little bit more … personal and intimate,” Allen said. “It just feels like you’re getting more of my personality, because there’s a lot of crowd interaction where I talk to specific fans and play to specific people and make them feel like they’re really getting a personal show for them.”
Allen said he wants to carve out a niche as an artist who can write strong material in a variety of styles. “Thank You Camellia” hints at that approach, as its songs include the gently grooving, soulful “Better With You,” the breezy Jason Mraz-ish pop of “My Weakness” and ”Loves Me Not,” a funky, hip hop-laced tune in “Rooftops,” folky acoustic pop with “Teach Me How Love Goes,” more expansive U2- style pop in “Out Alive” and a bit more intense pop-rock style with “Monster.”
“I’m not trying to write in a genre,” Allen said. “I don’t even know if there are genres anymore, honestly, except for pop and country. … I think I’m just trying to write great songs. If it ends up sounding like a country song or if it ends up sounding like a pop song, then that’s what it is.”
