Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter - Rollers (2023)

World-touring rockers Devon Allman and Donavon Frankenreiter make ultimate highway music on their new collaborative EP Rollers.

The new record comes out June 23rd, 2023 on Allman’s Create Records imprint. It’s a six-song blast produced by Grammy-nominated roots music guru Luther Dickenson (North Mississippi All-Stars) and is tied into Devon and Donavon’s See It All American Tour, which will seek to perform 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days beginning on August 5th. The tour will be an attempt to set the official world record for the fastest time to play a concert in each of the 50 states, which is currently 50 in 50 days and was set in 2003. This is about as hardcore as a crew of road dogs can be and will test their endurance and spirit in ways that can’t yet be imagined.

In keeping with this theme, Rollers is full of songs best listened to in motion. Allman, in fact, describes the tunes here as “rollers” rather than “rockers.” They’re meant to be an idealized playlist for a summer road trip and you can easily visualize the ever-changing moods and scenery viewed through a car window rolling by as you listen.

Devon Allman, son of rock legend Gregg Allman, is a Blues Music Award-winning singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He’s a founding member of the supergroups Royal Southern Brotherhood and The Allman Betts Band, a columnist for Guitar Player Magazine, and serves on the board of directors for the National Blues Museum.

Donavon Frankenreiter has been traveling the globe as a professional surfer and now as a musician for nearly four decades. He has made more than a dozen albums, toured behind his music for 30 years, and built a strong following with his philosophical lyrics and chilled-out grooves. He’s also a brand ambassador and entrepreneur.

Rollers hits the hard road right out of the gate with the haunting Western mini-epic “Calling All You Riders.” It’s an absolutely beautiful piece that sounds like the desert at night. Atmospheric guitars and pedal steel work surround the vocals and minimal drumbeat and make it a perfect song for hitting the highway at 3 AM. It’s really quite cinematic and will momentarily turn your life into a movie when listened to correctly.

“See It All” picks up the pace, putting down a funky, pavement tale about doing everything there is to do. It invokes soul, disco, and 70s funk all at one and vibes like an inspiring sunrise viewed through a windshield. Keyboards and horns help make this one go down smooth and its infectious beat is going to get a lot of backsides up and moving. Allman and Frankenreiter clearly have a special chemistry together and that X factor makes each moment of the song intuitively attractive. Their connection brightly colors the entire EP and will certainly make their upcoming tour one for the ages.

The joyful “We Belong” hits the 70s pop button on the head with big vocals, fat analog synths, and more soul than you’ll know what to do with. Guest vocalist Maggie Rose jumps in just to add a little extra magic and, for a few minutes, all is right in the world. It’s rare to hear such an unapologetically happy song these days but that’s exactly what this is and your heart needs to play it on “repeat.” Another major highlight on Rollers is the trippy, quasi-surf instrumental “Acapulco Gold.” Its exotic melodies and sun-drenched feel will put you where you need to be.

Rollers is a brief-but-mighty effort that’s destined to make this summer memorable for a whole lot of people. Allman and Frankenreiter are an intensely creative pair with a distinct sound. Be sure to catch the tour if you can and be part of their world record run. Highly recommended.

Tracklist
1. Calling All You Riders (3:21)
2. See It All (3:33)
3. We Belong (3:01)
4. Electric Lady (4:32)
5. Where Ya Gonna Run To? (2:34)
6. Acapulco Gold (2:38)