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Legendary author F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, \u201cthere are no second acts in American lives.\u201d But Fitzgerald passed away in 1940, some three years before Arthur Adams was born in Tennessee. Adams was a touring musician while still a student; taught by his mother and inspired by heroes like Elmore James, he learned to play guitar. By his early twenties he has backed James, Chuck Berry, Lightnin\u2019 Hopkins and Lowell Fulson.<\/p>\n
By the early 1960s, Adams had released singles under his own name. Moving out west to Los Angeles, he flourished as versatile session musician, working extensively with Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and others. Bridging blues and soul on his own recordings, Adams released a string of albums throughout the 1970s. He later toured extensively as Nina Simone\u2019s bassist.<\/p>\n
But Adams went quiet after that, keeping a low profile and not releasing and new music until the tail-end of the century. But in recent years he\u2019s returned with occasional albums of new material. His latest \u2013 and first in more than a decade \u2013 is Kick Up Some Dust<\/i>. And Adams\u2019 latest makes plain that the well of inspiration upon which he drew so often in years past is still very much in service.<\/p>\n
Adams sings lead and plays all of the guitar on \u201cKick Up Some Dust.\u201d Backed by a small core of musicians plus select guest players, Adams works his way through eleven original songs. His vocal are strong and clear, with phrasing and enunciation displaying more than a hint of the influence of B.B. King. And his sinewy guitar work is melodic in the extreme.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt Makes Me Mad\u201d opens the album on a strong note. The tune\u2019s horn chart fit seamlessly into the arrangement. \u201cStarving for Your Love\u201d employs the B.B. King voice-and-guitar call-and-response approach, but Adams make the style his own. The slinky beat, beefy horns and well-placed \u201870-soul styled backing vocals all bring the song together.<\/p>\n
Hense Powell\u2019s subtle string-synthesizer keyboard work gives \u201cHold On to Me\u201d a romantic feel, doubling down on the song\u2019s yearning, classic slow jam character. Adams\u2019 guitar work is taut and economical, and his overdubbed gospel-flavored vocals are the icing on the cake.<\/p>\n
\u201cFly with Me to Paradise\u201d might be built around a shopworn lyrical idea, but musically, it\u2019s another matter, subtly drawing upon a reggae feel that serves to showcase Adams\u2019 songwriting and arrangement versatility. The congas that enliven the album\u2019s title track may remind listeners of Isaac Hayes\u2019 early \u201870s work, but the molten lead guitar carries this instrumental number; at just over three minutes, it\u2019s over far too soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI Love You More\u201d is solidly romantic soul. \u201cUniversity of Hard Knocks\u201d is loping if familiar blues, but the Dixie Hummingbirds-style backing vocals (from Kym Foley, Ava Dupree and Jessica Taylor) elevate the song. Adams leans toward funk for \u201cDone Got Over You,\u201d and the results are pleasing. \u201cCool As a Cucumber\u201d sounds a bit like Steely Dan; \u201cThieves of Love\u201d slows things waaaay down and features one of Adams\u2019 strongest vocal turns on the set.<\/p>\n
After delivering a collection with no missteps, the record wraps up on a high note with \u201cA Bag of Soul,\u201d and instrumental with tasty layered guitars. Everything about Kick Up Some Dust<\/i> suggests that Adams has plenty more tricks left in his bag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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