Customer Reviews

Washing Day

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I knew Adam before Tracy Chapman. I knew Adam before and after Norah Jones. I knew Adam when he was sitting in my living room one Easter, playing other people's music for a room full of strangers. I knew Adam when he came to realize that for him, writing about music would never satisfy his soul as much as writing it, playing it and gifting it to our needful, thirsty earholes. I've heard his sound develop. I've heard nuanced evolution in every subtle phrase. And now I'm hearing what he has to say lyrically, and I am loving it. Adam has taken licks, sonic phrases, subconscious aching yearnings, great grooves and so many things that so many of us have heard, thought and felt in our lives - then chewed them all up fearlessly, and tossed, hurled, thrown and offered them back to us in deeply personal songs that I have never heard before but feel like I have been playing in my head for years. Here is eloquence, grit and honesty that I can only aspire to. Five Stars. True.

I'd grown to know Adam's guitar playing via Norah Jones. I appreciate his sparse style of adding just the right licks and chord fragments in Norah's music. Having his instrumental release "Buttermilk Channel" in heavy rotation on my iPod and work PC I wanted to add more of Levy's material. "Washing Day" is a sublime collection of songs, a very moody set of organic sounding tunes. Adam has a touch for keeping the arrangements simple (guitar, vocal, bass, drums and occassional keyboard) and this collection of songs walks you through a New York City landscape. Definitely Fall/Winter listening. I find "In the Morning", "Washing Day" and "I Put a Spell on You" and "Unspoken" standouts. A feeling of lose and breakup is very heavy on this collection. Adam's guitar work is very tight, nice gritty telecaster and 335 tones punch and weave throughout the songs. He adds some very efficient and biting solos on "In the Morning". A very good collection by Mr. Levy.

I had the honor of meeting Adam through myspace and his friend the equally fabulous Amber Rubarth a while back after stumbling on the title track "Washing Day." It was no wonder that Gene Shay and Tom Waits voted to make their production a songwriting lyrics gold medal winner at SxSW in 2007!
After hearing the entire CD performed live by Adam and Bandmates in DC's chic Adams Morgan "Bossa" listening room I had no choice but to buy 3 copies to share with friends, the entire CD has been in high rotation on my i-pod ever since!
Do yourself a favor, order it now and make everyday a washing day!