Local Review: Alli Brown — Undeniable

Alli Brown
Undeniable
Self-Released
Street: 02.21.2025
Alli Brown = Sheryl Crow + Natasha Bedingfield

Undeniable is the debut album from Salt Lake City singer-songwriter Alli Brown. Self-described as a creator of “music for the dreamers,” Brown’s most recent work draws inspiration from several musical traditions, including pop, folk, rock, and country — the latter being the most prominent. The result is eleven well-written and produced tracks that give off Nashville vibes (albeit minus the booze-soaked fake nostalgia) and are heavier on the Utah soda-shop positivity. The album was recorded over the span of two years between Rocket Skates Recording and Temple City Studios and produced in part by Brecken Jones (Strange Familia).

Brown is a frequent performer on the “National Anthem Circuit,” belting the Star-Spangled Banner at several large events around Utah in recent years. The power in her vocals is also showcased in her personal work very well, with incredible range and a natural talent for melody. This is immediately apparent in “My Own Superhero,” the album’s intro track. The song begins with some vocal riffing that sort of reminded me of the intro to “Baby” by Justin Bieber, gently coaxing the listener into submission before the chorus comes along to slug you in the jaw with emotional tenacity. The song invokes a mid-to-late 2000s sound, and with its self-empowering lyrical message, I could see it being the background track to a trailer for a coming-of-age movie from that era.

In fact, positivity, redemption, and hope seem to be the lyrical themes throughout the record, made obvious with track titles such as “Chasing Rainbows,” “My Own Superhero,” “I Want It All” and “Letting Go.” Alli seems like she’d be a great friend to talk you through a breakup, a theme actually visited in “Some People Never Change” — a song about two women bonding over the fact that they both survived a relationship with the same terrible ex-lover. This is one of the catchier and radio-ready tracks on the album.

 “Prairie Smoke” was recorded in tandem with Brown’s sister, Sarah Brown, and this song is one of the few departures in sound from the rest of the record. It has more of a millennial-optimism folk-pop sound than the rest of the tracks. The harmonies are tight and beautiful and the bond between the two is obvious in the delivery, which makes it all the more special. 

After a few listens through the record, I think my favorite song is “Letting Go.” The song introduces itself with some delicate acoustic finger-picking and vocal harmonies. The guitar is present throughout, providing a “slow burn” feel, with ups and downs in dynamics provided by piano and background harmonies that kept me captivated. There is something about the piano riffs in the pre-chorus in particular that seems to scratch an itch in my brain. Overall, the song is just so pretty in its thoughtful sorrow: “You couldn’t give me what I wanted, so I let you know I’m letting go.”

I think this album does what it set out to do, though it largely tends to lean toward a pop-country genre that has seemingly stagnated in its ability to provide novel sounds. I would have liked to see more airplay given the sounds showcased in “Prairie Smoke” and “Letting Go,” and instead step away from the generic and formulaic tendencies of Nashville. 

As a debut offering, Undeniable could have easily been an EP, or at most eight tracks, showcasing the different sides of the artist. It’s very clear to me that Brown has an incredible amount of talent, both in performance as well as songwriting, and I’d love to see her take that fierce independent energy and get a little weirder, wilder and more unique with her sound on the next album. All that being said, the most important message to relay is that this album was very well done and worth a listen. –Cole Stocker

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