Everything about
Dave Allen's sole album is slightly off, from the somewhat defensive title (
Allen is a
blues guitarist who happens to be white) to the naff cover photo and lame graphics, all the way down to the fact that
Color Blind is a completely straightforward slice of
Texas blues-rock that happens to be on
International Artists, the label that was otherwise home to the freaky likes of
the 13th Floor Elevators,
the Red Krayola, and
Endle St. Cloud.
Color Blind may be many things -- and foremost, it's a surprisingly enjoyable slab of unpretentious
Texas blues-rock, the sort of thing one might hear in a roadhouse in San Angelo on any given weekend -- but freaky it ain't. This has undoubtedly angered many psychedelic completists who finally tracked down this album in expectation of it sounding like
God Bless the Red Krayola & All Who Sail With It and who summarily dismissed it as a result. Listened to with open ears, however,
Color Blind is really quite good, gathering up the best parts of Texas-style
blues-rock while staying clear of pitfalls like excessively flashy solos, endless and plodding jams, or misogynistic lyrics. Tunes like
"Poor Soul" and
"Baby Please Don't Try to Tell Me What to Do" are solid, rocking
blues well worth seeking out by any fans of early
Johnny Winter or the like. ~ Stewart Mason
