| CD REVIEW Paul D'Adamo |
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Band : Paul D'Adamo Originally from New York, the now Las Colinas (a suburb of Dallas, Texas) based Paul D'Adamo is really a music teacher with a diverse sense of influences (including Pop, Jazz, classical, musical theater, and Rock) whom started his own musical education at the age of 6. With a passion for singing, playing piano, and performing, he was taught by the finest teachers at Indiana Univercity School Of Music, Julliard, and Berklee College Of Music, and began taking on some pupils while continuing to fine-tune his art and playing skills. In 2002 he started his own The D'Adamo School Of Performing Arts, where he's still teaching not only private voice and piano, but also music theory and songwriting...either at his students' homes or in his own studio. He's got two bands, one the locally popular Jazz Quartet/ Quintet, the other a variety band called Plan B, with which he plays around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 2008 a unique stroke of luck befell Paul when he started a recording collaboration with Brad Cole (long-time keyboarder of Phil Collins' band) as his co-producer. You see, thanks to his connections, invitations were sent out to a host of revered guest musicians most established acts can only dream of! With Paul bringing lead and backing vocals and playing most of the keyboards, as well as some drums, and Brad playing additional keyboards and adding his voice to the backing vocals, you get no less than 8 extra musicians who have played with either Genesis and/ or Phil Collins: background singers Arnold McCuller, Lynne Fiddmont and Amy Keys, guitarist Daryl Stuermer, saxophone player Gerald Albright, bassist Leland Sklar, percussionist Luis Conté, and drummer Chester Thompson. But the list of celebrity contributors doesn't end there, because there's also Daryl's brother Duane Stuermer on bass, guitarist Chris Remy (whom co-wrote the album's title track), Grammy winner Darlene Koldenhoven on backing vocals, and Elton John's drummer Charlie Morgan. The guest list continues with Britt Hoffman adding more backing vocals, Christopher Remediani adding acoustic and electric guitar, Brent Mason playing guitars, Mike Johnson playing Pedal Steel guitar and dobro, Grant Geissman playing nylon string guitar, Julie Adams laying some cello, Alan Burton several types of saxophone, and eventually Charlie Morgan and Eddie Bayers also played some drum parts. In other words, a guest-list previously unseen for anyone's debut album! The track-list of the album consists of 10 songs, with 3 D'Adamo originals (the album opening title track, plus the sad ballad “Miss You” and the somewhat more uplifting “Woman Like You”) seating comfortably between a bunch of covers, 4 of which (“Long Long Way To Go”, ”Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore”, “Please Don't Ask”, and the short a capella album closing “Guide Vocal”) originally by Phil Collins, 2 (“Entangled” and “Like It Or Not”) by Genesis, and the last one a cover of “Constant Change” by Philippino superstar Jose Mari Chan (apparently a good friend of Paul's). Stylistically, you're best off to put the material into the A.O.R.-with-Pop-leanings direction (actually, very much like what you'd expect from Phil Collins, you know!), as you'll be able to hear for yourself by listening to the (long) samples of àll songs on the album Paul posted at myspace.com/Pauldadamo. As for my personal appreciation of the album, there Is of course a certain recognition factor in these covers, and of course that's reflected in the rating. Somehow I can't help wondering what an album's worth of D'Adamo originals might sound like! 88/100 Tony. |
