Single Release Review: Alison Elana
By Matthew Belyea for Country Music News International
Released: 2021
Single: “Break It”
Alison Elana broke onto the national scene as a contestant on American Idol in 2014. Since then she has been honing her craft, rising in the Nashville singer/songwriter circles, and hard work and talent are getting her noticed with this most recent release. The newest single from this young artist and songwriter, “Break It” effortlessly showcases a lilting voice with echoes of Dolly Pardon and Sara Evans.
The opening fingerpicked guitar with the fiddle layering into the softly sung opening line, tinged with hope and regret tells the story of a relationship in the struggles of love. When you know your heart is going to break, but the love pulls you back again.
The song builds and the solid drum beat pulls the song up through the second verse and as the chorus builds to a great hook “I let you break it”. Alison’s voice is front and center and the band never overpowers her. It would be very easy to overproduce this song, and to her credit, she keeps it strong enough and very personal. Winding the song up a reprise of the intro is a nice touch to close this great effort by this Nashville up and comer.