The Gleaves Issue Quite Possibly (Country) Album of The Year 2025

Adamson Reels in The Years

CUT TO BLACK - BARRY ADAMSON

Album Review by Spencer Ide 

Barry Adamson has found his voice and what a voice!  His latest album is a sumptuous collection of image-driven, powerful, self-penned songs, with two co-written by Siena Barnes. A show-reel from an eclectic talent, revealing the too rarely-heard vocal talents of an accomplished musician and composer. 

Every track on this album projects series of strong visual images, not least in the opener The Last Words of Sam Cooke, which has a little nod in the title (perhaps) to Haydn’s ‘Last Seven Words of Christ’. 

 

This first track is a dramatic script about the demise of one of the greatest song writers, who died in messy circumstances in 1964 at the Hacienda Motel, Los Angeles.  Substance abuse, three gunshots to the chest, accusations of attempted rape and threatening behaviour did little for Cooke’s reputation, at a time when his songs were adding a new dimension to the Civil Rights movement of that year.  Adamson's up-tempo soul track is an Adamson/Barnes number that takes no sides, but Adamson sings “The stars they were fading / The high that I am still chasing.”  

This line reverberates ambiguously. Is this reflective of the stage of life the prolific, hard-working Adamson has reached?  His first volume of memoirs, Up Above the City, Down Beneath The Stars, released in 2021, comes from a writer with an ear for double-meaning, as seen in is his evocative 2016 album Know Where To Run. 

 

Where is Adamson running with this latest album?  He has enjoyed a lot of success with film scores (Scala was his latest commission) and right back to some early career tracks he was instrumental in writing, Barry Adamson has been involved in producing vivid imagery, Motorcade from the first Magazine album springs to mind.  Here, Adamson has selected some formative moments from his lifetime whether people, musical genres, places, events and had produced songs that dance between them all. He features in none of them, supporting his concept of producing an autobiography without his presence obvious.

 

Adamson has a deep, rich voice, it is the lead instrument on the album, but it is immediately clear that the album has been produced with no holds barred in any department.  When we are presented with a soul number, the opener for example, you get the flat one-two-one-two snare intro, the horn section and an echo to the voice, accompanying harmonies from the backing singers and tempo changes.  It is a great tribute to Cooke, the sound of Soul and the great dancehall popular music of that time.

The gospel sounds of These Would Be Blues has the electric organ, the haunting choir, plucked strings, a slow build to crescendo and grand finale.  Very good.  Please Don’t Call On Me evokes a smoky whisky bar by the Bayou, the slow twang of a bluesy guitar and so on.

 

Each track is finished to an immaculate standard. Each song in its own right is a fine tribute to the pertinent genre.   Adamson's wide-ranging talents are such that he is a musical chameleon, who can immerse himself completely in his surroundings. The connecting factor between all the tracks is Adamson's eye for a dramatic scene and his dissection of a single element of a story in detail.  Overall the impression for me is of a collection, rather than a coherent album.  Each track is very good in its own way, but as a whole, it was a like thumbing through someone else’s photo album.  Lovely pictures of someone else’s important moments.  The difficulty for me, is how to connect to Adamson’s connections.

 

Moving from blues to a jazzy, swinging Amen White Jesus epitomises the challenge to the listener and with each track such a distinct jump, it takes repeated listening to get into the idea behind it all.  This does not take away from the very clever songs, superbly delivered. It is a strong enough collection to hold-up to repeated listening too. I really enjoyed hearing the title track and Please Don't Call on Me repeatedly.

 

I am left wondering what provoked these songs specifically?  Reminisces, invention, or are they précised tv-episodes for an imagined long-running soap?  To understand these connections, I suspect I ought to read his book.

Issued on the Barry Adamson Incorporated label BAI, Cut to Black is released on 17^th May, 2024. 

Barry Adamson and his band are touring in early summer 2024 to support the album release, with Nadine Kouri opening each show.  I saw his Know Where To Run tour when it came to Brighton Komedia pre-pandemic. He sets himself and fellow musicians very high standards, which ensures that a Barry Adamson gig will be a good night out. Well worth checking out.

        BARRY ADAMSON – 2024 UK TOUR – with special guest Nadine Khouri*

Wed 22 May – Bristol (UK), Strange Brew* 

Thurs 23 May – Brighton (UK), Komedia Studio*

Fri 24 May – London (UK), The Jazz Café*

Sat 25 May – Hertford (UK), Hertford Corn Exchange*

Wed 29 May – Manchester (UK), Deaf Institute*

Thurs 30 May – Leeds (UK), Brudenell Social Club*

Fri 31 May – Glasgow (UK), King Tuts*

Sat 1 June – Newcastle (UK), Think Tank*

~

Spencer Ide

3rd May 2024