Recently I found myself wondering why I continue sharing my musical explorations. I don’t know if anyone beyond a handful of people is actually paying attention. Maybe I’m just sending these out into the ether to live a lonely life in eternal webdom. And then I realized that it really doesn’t matter. I have no choice. I am simply compelled to take the listening deeper, to get to the essence of what the music is saying. As time permits, I will continue on this path and hopefully, others will join me along the way.
The same way a particularly bright star can draw my attention to the whole sky, an enticing single element of a song will turn my attention to the work as a whole. That’s the sign of what I call divine creative spirit, and that’s what happened the first time I heard the gritty electric guitar fill on “Unreconciled.” It spoke to me and pointed the way toward the rest of that well crafted song, and eventually the album it came from, Gather Up, by Peter Bradley Adams. This was his first solo release. Peter is a solid and gifted songwriter and arranger.
Adams could be considered an acoustic artist, with his work being adeptly backed up by session players on electric guitar, bass, organ, drums and the usual array of folk/bluegrass instruments like banjo, dobro, mandola, pedal steel, and violin. Adams' predominant instruments besides his voice are piano and acoustic guitar. His grand piano is recorded beautifully and stands out, rich and resonant. His smooth, smokey voice blends perfectly with the exquisite female harmonies.
Peter Bradley Adams is a folk-pop/Americana singer-songwriter originally from Birmingham, Alabama. He was half of the acclaimed contemporary Americana duo Eastmountainsouth from 2001 to 2005 until he moved to Los Angeles to embark on a solo career. As a solo act, Adams has achieved critical acclaim from such places as the The Loft (Sirius XM Satellite Radio) and The Wall Street Journal. Perhaps more impressive is the support shown by fans who contributed $20,000 through Kickstarter to fund the recording of his current project.
His music has a style similar at times to Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Alison Krauss. The album is filled with plenty of folk-pop-country instrumentation that includes dobros, mandola and brush hit snare. There is a wonderful hint of that high lonesome bluegrass feel on “Teresa.” And then along comes track five. “Chant” adds a sweet twist to the pop/folk flavor by combining ethnic percussion and backing Hindu chanting. The phrase “Ramana Hari” reminds me of the chanting of Krishna Das. Adams did a nice job of meshing the two styles, adding interest to the entire collection, and not straying too far outside the musical theme.
“Upside Down” makes a plaintive statement about the realities of war and politics.
“you're in your house, in your chair
safe behind your walls
a mother cries, can't you hear it
with every child that falls
it's upside down, it's upside down.”
safe behind your walls
a mother cries, can't you hear it
with every child that falls
it's upside down, it's upside down.”
And lines from the title track “Gather Up,” with spoken word by Ana Reader:
“gather up in the arms of your pity
the sick, the depraved, the desperate, the tired
all the scum of our weary city
gather up in the arms of your love
those who expect no love from above.”
the sick, the depraved, the desperate, the tired
all the scum of our weary city
gather up in the arms of your love
those who expect no love from above.”
This is quite an accomplishment for a solo debut. Well done, Peter. When I bought this CD, I made an excellent choice. I’m glad to have it in my collection.
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