Record Label: S/R
Genre: Folk
Band Link: link
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Traditional folk with a country, nearly bluegrass, twang. I come from the camp that believes there is no such thing as a bad Adam, but this album isn’t for me. The best I can say is that the guitarwork is competent if sparse and often uninteresting. Everything else is subpar or clichéd. Same ol’ desolate, lonely country roads, same upbeat chords when applicable, same maudlin violins adding mawkish emotion when the songs themselves can’t cut it.

Worse, there’s just too much filler. A prelude, coda, and intermezzos (his words), all throwaways, are pretentious and pointless. C’mon now.

Vocals are okay – nothing special – but notes held for too long become tuneless. Being an Adam, I feel he’s talented enough to pick up the pace, add some more instrumentation, and add a fresh, bluegrassy breath to country folk, if he so wished. But listening to “Then Dirty Roads” is kind of like being on one – long, dull, and leading to nowhere pleasant.

Bottom Line: Not the best Adam out there.
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