Seraphina Lotkhamnga on December 7th, 2011

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Blue-eyed soul singers have come and gone, from Hall and Oates in the ’80s to boy bands in the ’90s to the current crop of revivalists, all with different shades on the genre and all with varying shelf life. At a sold-out show at the Echo on Friday night, Allen Stone, the 24-year-old preacher’s son from a small town in eastern Washington, sounded every bit the keeper, exuding the energy and talent to transcend labels and packing feel-good songs that spell longevity.

With a five-piece backing band establishing its musicianship simply by playing an intro, Stone walked onstage in casual attire consisting of a Grandpa cardigan, a knit cap and large red-framed glasses only to ask, “How you doin’ L.A.?” Y’all feel like havin’ a good time?” The applause was thunderous even before he sang a note. Even for a venue whose walls are usually filled with fans of punk and indie rock, it was apparent that the night was going to get rowdy as Stone turned his nerdy but confident swagger on for his deliriously excited fans.

Jumping in to songs such as “What I’ve Seen,” Sleep” and “Celebrate Tonight” (all echoing a bit of Stevie Wonder) off his self-titled record, Stone and band turned up the funk full blast. Shimmying bodies were eager to obey the singer’s requests like “Put your hands together!” and “Come on, move!” With a stomp here and there, eventually creating enough heat to take his cardigan off, Stone then got personal.

“I’m sick and tired of soul music lookin’ so crisp, so clean, so nice and proper,” Stone said. “’Cause you see, my soul is just a little bit greasy.” And with that, his band had the crowd grooving to the opening measures of “Nothing to Prove.” The groove mounted when the singer then announced a “nice, old fashioned” dance-off. “We’re gonna split the room in two right down the middle,” he instructed. “You gotta choose your side and when I count to 4, you’re going to shake your nasty Los Angeles asses.” Each side got down with their “nasty” selves, but it wasn’t a surprise the team closest to the bar won that contest.

Although Stone’s soul music is undeniably clean and good fun (supported by covers of “The Bare Necessities” from Disney’s “The Jungle Book” film and Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?”), the powerhouse vocals relayed a bold outlook on life. Whether this involved detailed opinion on politics (“Unaware”), the war between technology and humanity (“Contact High”) or his personal battle with time (“Killing Time”), Stone became a preacher in his own right. Dance became the solution to anybody’s woes for the night.

Aside from the knee-buckling bass lines, the swelling organ chords, the ardent guitar-strumming and the flawless falsetto, Allen Stone displayed his unabashed need to be intimate with all his surroundings. Although his James Brown-esque energy during “Satisfaction” seemed the appropriate way to end an encore, it was actually Stone’s closing statement, “Thanks so much for showing up. This was the funnest way to spend a Friday night.” that brought his charm full circle.

Photos by Carl Pocket