How Gardens Grow is a 13-track project from emcee Allen Poe, and a refreshing one at that. Far from rapping for the sake of it, Allen Poe injects his personality into every track, from introspective lyrics (‘Shrines From Dust’, ‘Places’) to talking about love and relationships (‘Don’t Delay’, ‘Birds + Bees’). The project is laden with soulful gems which helps string the theme together, and the homie has a solid ear for dope beats that match his voice and the topic ast hand. The feeling I get from How Gardens Grow is one of emotional progression from the first track to the last.

I can’t fault this one bit. Two freaking thumbs up!!!

About Album:
Though it’s not spelled out as a conceptual album, How Gardens Grow was put together in a way that illustrates the growth a person goes through from early 20’s through early 30’s.

About Artist:
Beats and rhymes were Versailles, Kentucky based MC Allen Poe’s sports and video games growing up. Poe started out recording by overdubbing tapes in his bedroom in the mid 90s. Now a husband, father, son, veteran, videographer and MC, Allen Poe’s love for wordplay and poetry has necessarily grown to accommodate all the situations and thoughts that arise.