The fruit of the fourth season of MTV's Making the Band -- the Sean Diddy Combs-produced series that has defied all odds and started turning out bands and records that actually sell -- Day26, like their Danity Kane sisters, seem strangely disconnected from modern music on their 2008 debut, Day26. Boy bands like this quintet aren't quite in vogue in 2008, but Making the Band has always strangely sidestepped fashion in favor of perennial music biz formulas that work, and there is no other pop formula quite as sturdy as assembling a vocal group. Despite all the reality TV trappings of Making the Band -- most absurdly how Day26 and Danity Kane were pitted against each other in Making the Band 4 to see which group finished its record first -- the show really does follow the old formula to a T, as Diddy drafted plenty of pros to write and craft tracks for the album. Bryan-Michael Cox is the producer responsible for the majority of the tracks -- even more if the hidden tracks and Target exclusive bonus are taken into account -- but Mario Winans helms two of the more memorable tracks (first single Got Me Going and Co-Star), with Danja responsible for the sleek In My Bed and Malay making an impression with I'm the Reason (which nicely echoes Michael Jackson's Rock with You and If It Wasn't for You). As this is a vocal group album, the emphasis is naturally on the group itself, or at least its vocals, as the members themselves are curiously lacking in charisma for TV stars. Day26 may not have that distinctive of an on-record personality, but they do sound much more at ease than the stiff, labored Danity Kane, which means that they usually just slip into the production (a notable exception being In My Bed, where their harmonies puncture the mood set by Danja) -- which is kind of for the best, because the one way Day26 is modern is in the sense that it often places the sound above the song. So in that way, Day26 are indeed a vocal group for their time: they serve the production as much as the production serves them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Some folks paths are determined for them before they are old enough to wonder what their paths should be. Such is the case with Allen Thompson. Thompson has been singing and telling stories for longer than he can remember. Judging by the responses to his albums and live performances, he won t be stopping anytime soon. Allen s songwriting and performing abilities have been recognized and applauded by Relix Magazine, American Songwriter, Jambands.com, and even CMT. Allen s continued growth as a songwriter and performer is evident. Audiences from South Carolina to California and many points in between are falling in love with his mournful vocals and honest turns of phrase. I m excited to see my music getting such a great response from people. When I made my last record (2009 s 26 Years), I was afraid to put it out. It s nice to know folks out there understand what I m doing. It s also very surprising. I didn t expect the record to elicit much of a reaction from anyone. I thought it was too personal, too real, he chuckles. Then again, the artists who inspired me made personal music for themselves and their friends with little concern for whether or not it would have mass appeal. I couldn t see myself doing this for any reason other than to say the things I feel I need to say. It is precisely that attitude that draws listeners to Allen s music. Thompson was born to tell a story. The first time you hear his sweet, soulful voice sail through one of his songs like the wind whistling through the mountains, you ll want to listen again and again to the stories he is telling. -Dr. T. N. Peters

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Some folks paths are determined for them before they are old enough to wonder what their paths should be. Such is the case with Allen Thompson. Thompson has been singing and telling stories for longer than he can remember. Judging by the responses to his albums and live performances, he won t be stopping anytime soon. Allen s songwriting and performing abilities have been recognized and applauded by Relix Magazine, American Songwriter, Jambands.com, and even CMT. Allen s continued growth as a songwriter and performer is evident. Audiences from South Carolina to California and many points in between are falling in love with his mournful vocals and honest turns of phrase. I m excited to see my music getting such a great response from people. When I made my last record (2009 s 26 Years), I was afraid to put it out. It s nice to know folks out there understand what I m doing. It s also very surprising. I didn t expect the record to elicit much of a reaction from anyone. I thought it was too personal, too real, he chuckles. Then again, the artists who inspired me made personal music for themselves and their friends with little concern for whether or not it would have mass appeal. I couldn t see myself doing this for any reason other than to say the things I feel I need to say. It is precisely that attitude that draws listeners to Allen s music. Thompson was born to tell a story. The first time you hear his sweet, soulful voice sail through one of his songs like the wind whistling through the mountains, you ll want to listen again and again to the stories he is telling. -Dr. T. N. Peters

Dave Mason is a co-founder of the legendary rock band Traffic. He's played on some of the greatest rock albums in history: Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and Delaney & Bonnie's Motel Shot among them. 26 Letters 12 Notes (issued on his own Out of the Box imprint through RED Distribution) is his first new album in a decade. Originally produced by Mason at home in California, additional recording was done in Detroit and Miami. It's a back to basics, '70s style rock and Brit soul record. It contains some modern co-production by a number of folks including the Motor City's Mark and Brian Pastoria (some of the mixing was also done in Detroit). It reveals Mason not only as a solid, focused, and relevant songwriter in the rock idiom, but as an expressive vocalist of uncanny power and depth (he's actually gotten better over the decades). His guitar playing has continued to develop and grow: he is a far more interesting player than his peer Eric Clapton is at this stage of the game. There isn't anything showy or hyper-consciously dazzling in the presentation, Mason's always been humble, and he sets his playing and singing to be true to his songs. There are some stellar guests on the set, including Willie Nelson (playing guitar, not singing), and percussionist and vocalist Sheila E. The big surprise is soul/gospel vocalist Beth Griffith belting it out with great firepower. The production is warm, lively, and immediate. It's not in your face; instead it concentrates on presenting the music as alive dynamically, though it is rich and deep in its textures.The opener, Good 2 U, is classic Mason, with a bluesy guitar riff backed by a taut string arrangement. The blues ring out in fills against Mason's open, emotional baritone. The guitar winds around a funky backbeat on the refrain, complete with a chorus of backing vocalists, a tight snare, and a slithering B-3. One Day opens with the same raucous Stratocaster playing a gospel blues, with Mason belting it out on top. The chorus, piano, and organ interact with that guitar and are infectious. The keyboard sounds meld into Mason's rough-edged guitar in a chorded riff; they feel like the sound of the mid-'70s radio rock roaring out of the dashboard speakers. This is a highway anthem disguised as a broken love song. Mason's lyrics serve his voice; they are wonderfully written. In How Do I Get to Heaven, his writing is emotionally worthy of Barrett Strong and lyrically of Bob Dylan. This is a hymn to busted love so emotionally authentic, we keep expecting the singer to break down. There's a beautiful pedal steel here played by Dana Keller that does exactly what it's supposed to do: add a ton of atmosphere without being intrusive. Mason loves late R&B and early rock & roll, as evidenced by the swagger in Ain't Your Legs Tired Baby, with a smoking baritone sax adding raunch to the roll. Other winners include the midtempo torch song Passing Thru the Flame, and two pumped up slippery funk tunes in That's Love, and World of Hunger with Sheila E. There's also a happening Spanish guitar-tinged instrumental called El Toro. The set ends with the country-ish Full Circle and Then, a gorgeous love song with wonderful acoustic and electric guitar work as well as Mason's deeply committed vocal. 26 Letters 12 Notes stands tall in Mason's catalog; it's proof that some veteran rockers are still hungry for the Muse; they've have been stashing diamonds in the dust of age -- this album is full of them and proof that Mason doesn't rest on his laurels. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

(Carta Score Paper). Carta Manuscript Paper (Manuscript paper). 40 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

Self titled CD of the musical development of DAY26. Their journey kicks off with the single, 'Got Me Going' produced by studio heavy hitter, Mario Winans. The collection features production from The Runners (T.I., Chris Brown, Rick Ross), Jim Bean, Grammy Award-winner Adonis (Diddy, Usher, Danity Kane), and multiple Grammy Award-winner Bryan Michael Cox (Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey), featured on Making The Band helming the quintet's debut single, 'Exclusive (No Excuses)'. America's favorite boy band- Brian, Will, Q, Mike, and Robert are back for another season of music, drama, and Diddy on MTV's hit reality series, 'Making The Band 4'. The new group, hand-picked by Diddy and collectively known as DAY26, is reunited with surprise solo winner, Donnie, to begin their journey into the music industry.