Elly Roberts reviews
Adam Green: Jacket Full Of Danger
Distributed by
Rough Trade Records
- Cat.no: RTRADCD293
- Released: April 2006
- Rating: 10/10
Adam Green is casting a huge shadow over his contemporaries.
Just when it seemed that great singers were out of fashion, up pops Adam
Green. This fourth album from the Jewish-American troubadour is quite
magnificent. The twenty-four year-old New Yorker first surfaced with band
the Moldy Peaches. His solo career began in 2001, since then becoming a big
favourite in Europe, particularly Germany.
In true cavalier style, he's
boldly going places where artists of his age wouldn't dare. His closest
rival right now is UK singer-songwriter Richard Hawley
(ref
Coles Corner, 2005).
That comparison is based on the retro ground breaking style of music
and singing that both pursue. Hawley is dubbed the 'Roy Orbison of
Sheffield'. Green is more in the classic Scott Walker mould. Had he been
around in the 60s, he would have been a mega-star. His distinctively rich
baritone voice is a throw-back to a time when great singing was recognised
an essential quality in the business.
His music, a peculiar mix of Vegas cabaret and alternative indie folk, is
spectacular to say the least, and slightly off-kilter. Each song is a kind
of 'operetta' - mostly big style productions that would grace a blockbuster
musical on Broadway, making Jacket Full Of Danger an audio delight from
start to finish.
Starting with stylish string arrangements, Pay The Toll
sets a formidable palate, rapidly followed by a pseudo-cabaret classic
Hollywood. Swinging like '60s Dean Martin, a low-fi Vultures ticks along
gently, showing a crooner on top of his game. A punchy, playful and heavily
orchestrated Novotel keeps the pace going nicely, whereas the OTT Hey Dude
is an all-out showcase of his measured vocal gymnastics. The single, Nat
King Cole is a real blast, cranking up the gears once more, taking a leaf
out of the Elvis school of Rock'n'Roll.
Taking a welcomed break, he allows
the string and back-up singers to lay a solid Eastern flavoured foundation
on C-Birds. Back to the 60s, he drops down again; resorting to Vegas
balladeering on West Coast influenced Cast A Shadow. Country tinged Jolly
Good and Watching Old Movies throw in a new dimension to his flourishing
repertoire. Like a bat out of hell comes a Led Zeppelin riffed monster -
White Women, with its John Bonham pounding drum technique, as his singing
goes off the radar.
Having done the hard work, he opts for a mellow acoustic closer - Hairy
Women, which rounds off a very impressive album.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
