Usually, when a musician experiences a traumatic event in his or her life, they can seek refuge in their art, and/or use the experience to influence the direction of their next project. And that is exactly what singer/guitarist
Aimee Allen has done on her 2009 release,
Little Happiness. The victim of a random gang assault outside of an L.A. recording studio,
Allen eventually recuperated, but the traumatic event affected her music, which now is sonically comparable to
Gwen Stefani fronting
Sublime. In other words, there's an unmistakable reggae-pop tinge to the proceedings, especially on such tracks as "Change in Weather" and "On Vacation" (the latter of which sounds like a jab at former boyfriend Scott Russo of
Unwritten Law). Interestingly, although
Little Happiness evokes summery vibes, it was recorded in Indiana during an especially cold winter. Regardless, fans of light and tuneful reggae-pop should find a
Little Happiness here. ~ Greg Prato