Description

Man With a Mission is the sixth and final studio album by the American pop/rock band Allies, released on Dayspring Records in ‎1992, a division of Word. The album was recorded at Allies Recording Studio in Franklin, Tennessee; with band members Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas producing.

Over the last couple of albums, the Allies have had a consistent line-up, with bassist Matthew Chapman, drummer Jimmy Erickson, and, most often, keyboard wiz Randy Lee, in supportive roles to songwriters/producers Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas. The Carlisle/Thomas songwriting coalition had its greatest success with the Dolly Parton hit, «Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That», and recent Allies albums have reflected the duo’s strength in composition in a variety of styles and approaches. ‘Man With a Mission’, although two years, two thousand miles east, and a whole new band away from ‘The River‘, finds Carlisle and Thomas doing what they like to do best, without skipping a beat.

Par for the course, Carlisle’s voice is one of the best male instruments in pop and rock, Thomas is a tasteful, at times artful, guitarist, and the two are always competent and often inspired writers of great pop hooks, smart rockers, and soulful ballads. What Allies have never been is a band with a clear musical direction and artistic focus. Carlisle and Thomas have broad talents and interests, and the band has ended up sounding somewhat whimsical in approach. ‘Man With a Mission’, more akin in tone to the band’s pop song smorgasbord ‘Shoulder to Shoulder‘ than rockier efforts, gives more of the solid songwriting that has made Allies a vehicle for Carlisle and Thomas.

And the songs, as per previous standards, are a collection of great pop and rock songs in a variety of approaches. «Man With a Mission» and «Feather in Your Cap» give the early album some «Long Way From Paradise»-styled bluesy rock, with great slide playing on the former and fun band interaction on the latter. Both tracks offer up some of Carlisle and Thomas’ funniest lyrics, a bit o’ ’60s hit song flashback and some gritty rock panache. This is the Allies sound I’ve always liked best, but fans of this side of the band have to remember that the rest of the album, beginning immediately with «Grand Facade», is likely to veer off in a completely different direction.

The last half mellows considerably. «Deepest Part of Me», like the opening «In My Life», is one of the best pop songs from Carlisle and Thomas in some time. Both of these tracks will sound tasty on the radio. «Crying», a kinder, gentler ballad, would be great change of pace between two aggressive pop tracks, but between pablum like «Just Like a Father» and «Last Chance Cafe» it loses its impact.

‘Man With a Mission’ presents Carlisle and Thomas’ capable talents in a finely tuned and polished package. Fans who want the whole disc to sound like the song they heard on the radio, or who liked one particular approach on past albums, will find the breadth of this effort as exasperating as ever. Nonetheless, these veteran song-crafters deliver the kind of talent, humor, and skill (not to mention no dearth of catchy, memorable songs) that has real staying power. [Brian Q. Newcomb, CCM, May 1992]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/man-with-a-mission/1165921837)

CD tracklist:

01. In My Life – 3:28
02. Man With A Mission – 3:57
03. Feather In Your Cap – 4:55
04. Grand Facade – 4:18
05. Devoted To You – 5:24
06. The Deepest Part Of Me – 3:23
07. Heaven – 6:32
08. Just Like A Father To Me – 3:31
09. I’m Crying – 4:40
10. Last Chance Cafe – 6:05

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Dayspring Records.