Review: Justin Adams chases the stars with new EP, ‘Horizon’
Adams exhibits great promise with his second EP.
If you’re gunning for the mainstream market, there are a few things you need to do. You’ve got to have the know-how to craft sun-bleached melodies that appeal to the widest possible demographic; your perspective needs to be unique enough to set you apart but not alienate potential consumers; and your twang better be thick, affected or not. Justin Adams excels at all of the above. Pop-country isn’t inherently terrible, as many might have you believe. When done well, and Adams appears to be on the right path, carving out a satisfying combination of hearty-stock pop-country in the same vein as Keith Urban, it can result in truly inspired storytelling.
Adams’ new EP, Horizon, throbs with the starry-eyed poptimism of commercial country, stretched with glossy reverence for small town America, big dreams, faith and sunset-hued romance. His vocal is most penetrating on “Don’t Hold It Against Me,” a smoldering looker whose steady, pulsating drum loop drags it along just enough to be irresistible. He then turns around to stun with “Good Rain or Jesus” (written by industry luminaries Jonathan Singleton and Barry Dean), a gospel-filtered ballad built for unhinged bombast but steeped in a southern richness that makes for a truly remarkable moment. “I’m just tough enough to try,” he cries, oozing with soul. “Lord, it’s been dry like the county line / It seems like anything moving is leaving town / And I’m all alone, hoping she’ll come home.” His tattered heart has had about enough, and while his voice remains quite smooth, the emotion is ripe.
Adams is best when he’s not chasing trends but rather restructuring the pop-country template on his own terms. Horizon is a sturdy disc of tunes, interlocked with admirable compositions (“The Road,” “Back Then”), and even when it falls apart (“Feel That Feeling” is especially milquetoast-y, while “How It Rolls” jumps the shark completely), there is a charm in the shortcomings. But when he hits a home run, as he also does with closer “Green Grass Blue Water,” a moving prayer-like confessional co-written with Eric Arjes and Lance Carpenter and drawn with airy acoustic guitars and gently-rippling percussion, Adams is a delight. “Been a sinner with no river in my sight / But when I need that saving grace like words straight from the Father / You’re my green grass and my blue water,” he sings in vibrant strokes, painting a vivid and poetic landscape. His voice is luscious and intoxicating in its natural state, with very little accompaniment necessary.
Make no mistake, Horizon (produced by Derek Wells, a guitarist who has played with Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and countless others) is an unapologetic bid for mainstream fame, but it displays great promise in varied shades. Even when he’s not the songwriter behind the stories, his vocal phrasing and approach is often captivating and fresh. If he plays his cards right, Adams has a long career ahead of him.
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