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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
English-born singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding spent the better part of a decade variously shaking fervent early comparisons with Elvis Costello and/or singing the major-label blues. Shedding that megacorp sponsorship for indie pastures may not have spurred a burst of creativity (this album comes four long years after 2000's fine The Confessions of St. Ace), but it's inspired Harding to reach a whole new sonic plateau in his recordings, as this superb collection ably attests. His viewpoint and lyrics are as sharp-eyed and wry as ever, ranging from typical romantic foibles to skewerings of hollow generation-gap trappings ("Protest, Protest, Protest," a satire that even encompasses mock electronica flourishes courtesy of track producer Eric Kupper) and sexual license (the hilarious, clumsy hedonism of "Sluts"). But it's Harding's focused attention to melody and pop-perfect songcraft that elevates the whole album into a consistently infectious new realm. Aided by producers Kupper and Julian Raymond (Fastball, Shawn Mullins, Suicide Machines), Harding's guitar/keyboard/drums tack may be elemental, but on tracks like "Nothing at All," "Pull," "It Stays," and the slinky, east-Asian aura of the fable the "Monkey and His Cat" it evokes an accomplished charm that's downright Beatlesque. Adam's Apple is arguably the most satisfying album Harding's recorded since 1989's Here Comes the Groom--and one that might just teach Costello a thing or two about pop economics. --Jerry McCulley
Amazon.com
John Wesley Harding is well into his second decade as a recording artist. As a literate but no longer new voice, he's no longer major-label material. Indeed, the well-traveled Brit who was once heralded as the heir to Elvis Costello has been hopping from indie to indie since he parted ways with Sire in the early '90s. So one wouldn't be shocked if his first new collection in four years felt like an exhausted last breath of a frustrated journeyman. But from the first notes of the cascading opener, "Nothing at All," it's apparent that Harding has, if anything, become more adept at mating sharp, witty wordplay (always his forte) with surging power pop. This time out, he's managed to pull together more than a fair share of alluring melodies and fitting folk-rock arrangements. Whether it's the jangling, spirit-affirming "Sleeper Awake" ("Get out of your bed/ Quit playing dead") or the O. Henry-like murder ballad "Sussex Ghost Story," Harding proves he's still going strong at a stage when it wouldn't be surprising if he was running out of gas. --Steven Stolder
English-born singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding spent the better part of a decade variously shaking fervent early comparisons with Elvis Costello and/or singing the major-label blues. Shedding that megacorp sponsorship for indie pastures may not have spurred a burst of creativity (this album comes four long years after 2000's fine The Confessions of St. Ace), but it's inspired Harding to reach a whole new sonic plateau in his recordings, as this superb collection ably attests. His viewpoint and lyrics are as sharp-eyed and wry as ever, ranging from typical romantic foibles to skewerings of hollow generation-gap trappings ("Protest, Protest, Protest," a satire that even encompasses mock electronica flourishes courtesy of track producer Eric Kupper) and sexual license (the hilarious, clumsy hedonism of "Sluts"). But it's Harding's focused attention to melody and pop-perfect songcraft that elevates the whole album into a consistently infectious new realm. Aided by producers Kupper and Julian Raymond (Fastball, Shawn Mullins, Suicide Machines), Harding's guitar/keyboard/drums tack may be elemental, but on tracks like "Nothing at All," "Pull," "It Stays," and the slinky, east-Asian aura of the fable the "Monkey and His Cat" it evokes an accomplished charm that's downright Beatlesque. Adam's Apple is arguably the most satisfying album Harding's recorded since 1989's Here Comes the Groom--and one that might just teach Costello a thing or two about pop economics. --Jerry McCulley
Amazon.com
John Wesley Harding is well into his second decade as a recording artist. As a literate but no longer new voice, he's no longer major-label material. Indeed, the well-traveled Brit who was once heralded as the heir to Elvis Costello has been hopping from indie to indie since he parted ways with Sire in the early '90s. So one wouldn't be shocked if his first new collection in four years felt like an exhausted last breath of a frustrated journeyman. But from the first notes of the cascading opener, "Nothing at All," it's apparent that Harding has, if anything, become more adept at mating sharp, witty wordplay (always his forte) with surging power pop. This time out, he's managed to pull together more than a fair share of alluring melodies and fitting folk-rock arrangements. Whether it's the jangling, spirit-affirming "Sleeper Awake" ("Get out of your bed/ Quit playing dead") or the O. Henry-like murder ballad "Sussex Ghost Story," Harding proves he's still going strong at a stage when it wouldn't be surprising if he was running out of gas. --Steven Stolder
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SoundUnwound Says...
“Adam's Apple 
by John Wesley Harding is mainly Hard bop, quite Alternative Folk, with hints of Alternative”
by John Wesley Harding is mainly Hard bop, quite Alternative Folk, with hints of Alternative”Disagree? Cast your vote now!
Share your knowledge and explore the rest of the music world at SoundUnwound.com
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
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65% buy the item featured on this page: Adam's Apple $17.98 |
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27% buy Who Was Changed & Who Was Dead (Bonus CD) $15.98 |
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8% buy Here Comes the Groom/The Name Above the Title $14.97 |
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