Joshua Allen and the Show Me Saints Debut New Album “A Night at Gaslight” [Review + Interview]

Joshua Allen and the Show Me Saints have taken things back to the basics with their brand-new live album, “A Night at Gaslight.”

Released on January 13, “A Night at Gaslight” showcases the band in their element, honoring their heroes by capturing a classic recording style, but also manages to sound relevant in 2019.

“A Night at Gaslight” kicks off with “Living Life Rough,” an up-tempo southern rocker detailing a blue-collar lifestyle. Allen’s raspy vocal in reminiscent of John Fogerty mixed with Don Henley, which makes this track a great starting point.

The up-tempo, blue-collar vibe continues with “I-44 Blues.” With an Eagles sound once again coming through with hints of Lynyrd Skynyrd, this traveling tune with plenty of fiddle creates a nice transition from the opening track.

When the first ballad, “Fall From Grace” kicks off, it immediately grabs the attention of listeners. Spinning a heartbreaking tale of lost love, “Fall From Grace” proves to be one of the standout tracks on the album.

“Decent Man” keeps the slow tempo going, featuring a very strong lyric along with great harmonies, “Decent Man” paints a different heartbreak picture, one that puts a bit of a positive twist, one that portrays trials in life, but making it out a “decent man” somehow. This is another one of the really strong efforts on the album.

The pace quickens again with “Leaving Missouri,” a clever story song that keeps things light, while the band shows off some fun musicianship throughout the track.

The pace slows down for good beginning at track 6, “No Good for You.” The lead single from the album, “No Good for You” is another great story song that features an excellent vocal from Allen. “No Good for You” further proves that the Saints are at their best with their ballad work, as this song is the standout track.

The album closes with “Bye Bye Girl.” Another great vocal track from Allen, the track features another heartbreaking lyric about the realization of not loving someone anymore and needing to be free.

Overall, Allen and the Saints have strung together a solid effort full of great balladry and fun up-tempo, southern rock vibes.

Now, read below to hear from Allen about the recording of the album, some thoughts on the songs, and more!

Pro Country: Are you feeling any type of pressure, internally or externally, as you were preparing to release music for the first time with your debut album?

Joshua Allen: I did feel a little pressure because our fans and everyone kept asking “When is your music coming out?” and I knew we had to get something released. We didn’t rush it though, and made sure to do our best work right now on our songs and give our fans music to listen to.

PC: Why did you decide to record the album live? How do you think it helped the finished product?

JA: Well we love the process of recording live, like our influences did earlier. Cash, Waylon and those guys did it sometimes, and we love those records.

think the record turned out awesome, and we love the fact it’s us in a vulnerable state while recording, and we wanted people to hear that.

PC: Why did you decide to release “No Good for You” as the first single from the album?

JA: “No Good for You” is a sad country song that I think people relate to, and we just loved how it turned out. It’s one of my favorite songs that we recorded, and one of my favorites I’ve written.

PC: “Fall from Grace” is one of the standout tracks on the album, can you talk about the inspiration behind that song?

JA: That song was on my first little EP, and was my favorite on there. It’s another sad song I think everyone could relate to, and the inspiration is just a past relationship that scarred me.

PC: What has it meant to hear from fans who have enjoyed “A Night at Gaslight”?

JA: We have received a lot of pictures from friends who have fallen in love with the record and songs and THAT is why we do what we do. It means the absolute world.

PC: What do you hope people take away from listening to “A Night at Gaslight” all the way through?

JA: I hope people take away the essence of our sound and what we do. However, I mainly hope people CONNECT to at least one song and it helps them out of a situation they may be in.

PC: Additional comments:

JA: Thank you to all of our fans, friends, family and supporters who have stayed with me over the last couple years. We hope to meet as many of you as we can and get to know you so we become more than friends, but family. The Show Me Saints are a family, and we love our fans like family.

Thanks to our sponsors and Pro Country for the review. Check us out all over the web and come out to a show. Much love.