Todd Adelman - Western Soul (double album vinyl)
Review by JW Vibe: Before we get into the insightful, crafty, deeply lived splendors of his spirited, all at once gloomy and depressing and joyfully exhilarating, hard-hitting seventh album Western Soul, let’s just say it plainly: veteran Americana treasure and storyteller nonpareil Todd Adelman is the best thing to happen to Woodstock since…well, Woodstock.
He not only complements his own hard driving, bluesy and soulful band with a batch of locals but he records a stone’s throw from where the craziness happened back in ’69. With this studio The Woods, the guy who ran off to Colorado for a long spell has returned to, as he says, create “a musical retreat, amidst acres of fields, streams, beaver ponds and hardwood forest in a valley surrounded by Catskill peaks.” Poetic descriptions like that could make us fall in love with him and his latest, very generous 14 track collection even before we attune our ears, but it’s worth the near hour of immersing to discover and revel in his stake in the traditional heart of American music with contemporary twists that address the travails that ail us today.
Among his myriad gifts is the ability to draw us into his autobiography journey while allowing us to so beautifully relate to his journey. On the seductively gritty opening ballad “Oh Mama, Won’t You Take Me Home,” he informs us of why he returned to New York: “So long Colorado, so long to old plans. . .I seek some quiet, a place I can breathe/Where I’m no longer longing to wander.” That tune sets the tone for a slate of fascinating narratives with a wide variety of tempos, from the wistfully nostalgic romp of steel guitar tinged “Out of Gas” through the fiery, super optimistic barnburner “Kings Upon The Town” and “Can’t Sing the Blues No More,” which artfully blends a melancholy vibe with lyrics that speak excitedly about new love.
Another universally relatable cut is “Trying to Get Through Today,” which Adelman presents in two completely unique renditions – a galloping jam featuring electric guitar and snazzy Mexican style horns and a graceful 3/4 waltz which closes the set. Both versions remind us of the importance of counting our blessings even if we’re just struggling to make it through. All those aspects of the album are gifts of grace to a wounded soul looking for salvation through music, yet it’s my opinion that the singer saves his greatest lyrical lines for the middle of “(Why Are) Old Guitars (So Proud of Their Age”), a classic-styled, Tom Waitsesque lament at becoming an old geezer.
To wit, “They wrote songs about me, now they’ve written me off/Like an expired prescription for a lingering cough/The life of the party spends his nights on the couch/When did I become a busted old grouch.” I defy any contemporary Americana songwriter out there to top that! If John Prine were alive, maybe he could. Speaking of which, Adelman pays elegant, strumming homage to the legend via another album highlight, “One of a Kind.”
Review by JW Vibe: Before we get into the insightful, crafty, deeply lived splendors of his spirited, all at once gloomy and depressing and joyfully exhilarating, hard-hitting seventh album Western Soul, let’s just say it plainly: veteran Americana treasure and storyteller nonpareil Todd Adelman is the best thing to happen to Woodstock since…well, Woodstock.
He not only complements his own hard driving, bluesy and soulful band with a batch of locals but he records a stone’s throw from where the craziness happened back in ’69. With this studio The Woods, the guy who ran off to Colorado for a long spell has returned to, as he says, create “a musical retreat, amidst acres of fields, streams, beaver ponds and hardwood forest in a valley surrounded by Catskill peaks.” Poetic descriptions like that could make us fall in love with him and his latest, very generous 14 track collection even before we attune our ears, but it’s worth the near hour of immersing to discover and revel in his stake in the traditional heart of American music with contemporary twists that address the travails that ail us today.
Among his myriad gifts is the ability to draw us into his autobiography journey while allowing us to so beautifully relate to his journey. On the seductively gritty opening ballad “Oh Mama, Won’t You Take Me Home,” he informs us of why he returned to New York: “So long Colorado, so long to old plans. . .I seek some quiet, a place I can breathe/Where I’m no longer longing to wander.” That tune sets the tone for a slate of fascinating narratives with a wide variety of tempos, from the wistfully nostalgic romp of steel guitar tinged “Out of Gas” through the fiery, super optimistic barnburner “Kings Upon The Town” and “Can’t Sing the Blues No More,” which artfully blends a melancholy vibe with lyrics that speak excitedly about new love.
Another universally relatable cut is “Trying to Get Through Today,” which Adelman presents in two completely unique renditions – a galloping jam featuring electric guitar and snazzy Mexican style horns and a graceful 3/4 waltz which closes the set. Both versions remind us of the importance of counting our blessings even if we’re just struggling to make it through. All those aspects of the album are gifts of grace to a wounded soul looking for salvation through music, yet it’s my opinion that the singer saves his greatest lyrical lines for the middle of “(Why Are) Old Guitars (So Proud of Their Age”), a classic-styled, Tom Waitsesque lament at becoming an old geezer.
To wit, “They wrote songs about me, now they’ve written me off/Like an expired prescription for a lingering cough/The life of the party spends his nights on the couch/When did I become a busted old grouch.” I defy any contemporary Americana songwriter out there to top that! If John Prine were alive, maybe he could. Speaking of which, Adelman pays elegant, strumming homage to the legend via another album highlight, “One of a Kind.”
Review by JW Vibe: Before we get into the insightful, crafty, deeply lived splendors of his spirited, all at once gloomy and depressing and joyfully exhilarating, hard-hitting seventh album Western Soul, let’s just say it plainly: veteran Americana treasure and storyteller nonpareil Todd Adelman is the best thing to happen to Woodstock since…well, Woodstock.
He not only complements his own hard driving, bluesy and soulful band with a batch of locals but he records a stone’s throw from where the craziness happened back in ’69. With this studio The Woods, the guy who ran off to Colorado for a long spell has returned to, as he says, create “a musical retreat, amidst acres of fields, streams, beaver ponds and hardwood forest in a valley surrounded by Catskill peaks.” Poetic descriptions like that could make us fall in love with him and his latest, very generous 14 track collection even before we attune our ears, but it’s worth the near hour of immersing to discover and revel in his stake in the traditional heart of American music with contemporary twists that address the travails that ail us today.
Among his myriad gifts is the ability to draw us into his autobiography journey while allowing us to so beautifully relate to his journey. On the seductively gritty opening ballad “Oh Mama, Won’t You Take Me Home,” he informs us of why he returned to New York: “So long Colorado, so long to old plans. . .I seek some quiet, a place I can breathe/Where I’m no longer longing to wander.” That tune sets the tone for a slate of fascinating narratives with a wide variety of tempos, from the wistfully nostalgic romp of steel guitar tinged “Out of Gas” through the fiery, super optimistic barnburner “Kings Upon The Town” and “Can’t Sing the Blues No More,” which artfully blends a melancholy vibe with lyrics that speak excitedly about new love.
Another universally relatable cut is “Trying to Get Through Today,” which Adelman presents in two completely unique renditions – a galloping jam featuring electric guitar and snazzy Mexican style horns and a graceful 3/4 waltz which closes the set. Both versions remind us of the importance of counting our blessings even if we’re just struggling to make it through. All those aspects of the album are gifts of grace to a wounded soul looking for salvation through music, yet it’s my opinion that the singer saves his greatest lyrical lines for the middle of “(Why Are) Old Guitars (So Proud of Their Age”), a classic-styled, Tom Waitsesque lament at becoming an old geezer.
To wit, “They wrote songs about me, now they’ve written me off/Like an expired prescription for a lingering cough/The life of the party spends his nights on the couch/When did I become a busted old grouch.” I defy any contemporary Americana songwriter out there to top that! If John Prine were alive, maybe he could. Speaking of which, Adelman pays elegant, strumming homage to the legend via another album highlight, “One of a Kind.”