Singer / songwriter Chris Allen may be new to the scene with his first solo studio album "Lift Up Your Head." However don't let that deceive you about his years of experience in the music industry. The southern California native spent his college years near Los Angeles in the Inland Empire shaping his craft while directing his energy towards using his music to serve others in churches and youth organizations. "Making and performing music is an incredibly powerful and influential element in my life. To say it's my passion would be an understatement. Having said that however, I believe it's also a gift from God that's been given to me with no guarantees of its future. I simply want to use that passion and that gift to serve others, give it away and be a good steward of these talents for as long as I'm able to use them." Having played piano and keys since the age of 4, Chris Allen's music is clearly written from and influenced by the 88 ivory keys. Songs such as the title track "Lift Up Your Head" and "Watching for Wonder" chime piano lines more as a foundation than a light production element. His propensity for using music in churches and spiritual settings comes through in more widely accessible anthems such as "Until His Coming" and "Greater Than" where rock and pop blend together. The pop-ballad "Sustainer" seems to be written from a difficult season of loss, but provides a hopeful conclusion and transcending answer while evoking moments from Owl City's electronic sequencing. The album takes a turn the last 4 tracks with folk and country infusions. Acoustic guitars, violins, and southern rock guitar solos play heavily on "Like a Child," "Joy," and "He's Alive." The album closes nicely with the John Mayer-esque train beat song "Die to Live." Blues guitars decorate this piece nicely while the vocals conclude the album with a more subtle prayer of sorts in its lyrics. Lift Up Your Head is a freshman debut, but one that covers a veteran's journey through life with a higher influence at the center. Listeners will enjoy both the diversity in it's content as the album walks through changing seasons. They might enjoy the diversity in genre just as much or more.