| 
Review: Jack Foley
A MAN Called Adam finally release their retrospective, All
My Favourites, on Norman Cook's Southern Fried label - and
the smart advice is, go get it!
If you haven't heard of this talented duo - then you should.
But then you might just find you do already know something about
them.
Their publicity gleefully states that there is bound to be A
Man Called Adam track on one of your compilation CDs, and it was
certainly the case that I found I knew a fair few of the oldies.
And while this may be a retrospective, it is no mere back catalogue.
The album couples eight new tracks with nine classics from their
vaults, mixing it up in a joyfully unpredictable format.
And, as the PR states: "All My Favourite rounds up years
of memories, recounting the sunsets, acid house raves, smoky clubs,
strobe lights, drum machines, love-ins and thousands of smiles"
that their music has produced over the past decade.
And it's more chilled out than you could imagine, making it the
ideal album to sit down and relax with no matter what mood you
are in.
Highlights include the township riddims and Eighties hip hop
flavours of Earth Sings, and the hovering, haunting woodwind
of Love Forgotten - both of which seem effortless in
the way they soothe the listener.
Sally Rodger's sultry vocals seem to caress the ear-drums at
times, like a teasing whisper in someone's ear, while the beats
and breaks of Steve Jones are truly mesmerising.
There are times when Rodger's vocals provoke comparisons with
the Madonna of Music, but this only serves to heighten the enjoyment;
particularly since the beats and melodies exist on a higher plane.
Take the acoustic guitar thrum that permeates throughout No
Distance, or opening track, Barefoot in the Head,
as evidence.
Or the cloudbusting Estelle, which, as its PR suggests,
'is guaranteed to fill the darkest room with it's symphony of
sunlight'.
The Latin swing of Yachts is one of the more upbeat
numbers, guaranteed to have you dancing - along with the rhythmic
likes of Six More Days or the superb Chris Coco Mix of
People Rule.
But then there is barely a dud track on the long-player and its
addictive nature virtually guarantees that, like its name suggests,
this CD will be among your favourites come the end of the year.
|
