Published May 4, 2005, in the Kirksville Daily Express

Story by Matthew Webber

KIRKSVILLE - This weekend's Round Barn Blues headliner recently learned he doesn't need to live the blues anymore in order to play the blues.

In new songs like "I've Learned My Lesson" and "New Life," Bernard Allison actually takes the time to apologize to people he has hurt, perhaps an unlikely subject in a style of music more popularly known for murder ballads and drunken odes.

But anyone who has seen this singer, songwriter and guitarist perform - as music fans from around the region will have the chance to do Saturday - can attest to Allison's killer stage presence, which he honed from years of touring in Europe and performing with his father, the late blues legend Luther Allison.

Even though Bernard's 2005 album, "Higher Power," his sixth release on Ruf Records, contains songs about his family, home life and newfound inner peace, it still contains his trademark blend of blues, rock, soul, funk and R&B.

Allison's show Saturday at the semiannual Round Barn Blues festival promises to showcase all of these styles, along with a guitar sound some have described as blistering.

Allison leads a bill that also includes Studebaker John and the Hawks and the Dustin Thomas Band.

For Allison, writing about spirituality came as naturally as writing about more stereotypical blues topics.

Also, as the 37-year-old grew up and changed - getting married, raising a family and mourning his father - he wanted his music to grow and change at the same time.

"Musically and lyrically, this is definitely a mature effort," Allison said in a press release.

"I've been through a lot since the passing of my father. I'm married, and I have started my own family. This music comes from everyday responsibility and lifestyle."

Allison believes his new music is as much a part of the blues tradition as anything else from his past.

"In order for anything to expand, you have to take a risk," Allison said.

"Blues is about experimenting and getting your feelings across to someone else. And if you want to keep going, people are going to have to give it a chance because we're losing all our creators.

"Because I've been taking risks on every album I've ever recorded, this record is just a logical progression from everything else I've done."

After all, ever since he released his first solo album, "The Next Generation," in 1990, Allison has been trying to bridge the gap between traditional blues fans and other music listeners, in the same way Jonny Lang and Susan Tedeschi have attempted to cross over into the mainstream.

Allison hopes the spiritual theme of his latest release, as well as his spirited performances, will continue to resonate with listeners.

"I'm calling the album 'Higher Power' because there were times when I had to pray to my own higher power to help me through," he said.

"Immediately after my father's death I was still touring. I wanted to continue because that was what he wanted me to do. I feel that with his presence, he's still, even today, with me everywhere I go, and with the help of my higher power, there's no going wrong.

"That is the message in many of these songs."

Gates open at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Round Barn, two miles east of Kirksville on Route P. Music starts at 4 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate, although children 12 and under can attend for free.