Album review: ADAM DOUGLAS – Better Angels

March 1st, 2021 by brianmc

Sonnet Music [release date 05.02.21]

I first heard Adam Douglas about five or so years ago singing ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ a la Sam Cooke / Otis Redding on a TV game show. Now that’s some song to tackle, and I feared he might come a cropper – but it turned out it was an unmitigated triumph of fantastic singing, and which is still a YouTube hit to this day!

I now discover that Douglas also moved to Norway around that time, adding some eclectic influences to his own melting pot as a boy born and raised in Oklahoma. Since then, he’s toured extensively in Scandanavia and managed to win a TV talent show called “Battle of the Stars”. His melting pot includes soul and blues, but also tinges of americana, rock and roll and country.

Better Angels is Douglas’ third album release, with the title taken from Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address, apparently.

People say that he sounds like Ray LaMontagne, and yes I get that, but to me he is very reminiscent of the 80’s soul singers like Michael Bolton. In fact, while the album has all these influences, at its core is a base of 80’s pop funk, the kind of which is perhaps typified by ‘Hue and Cry’.

When asked about genre, Douglas simply says “Adam”, while also suggesting that his music now coincides somewhat with his happy mid-life crisis.

‘Joyous We’ll Be’ opens proceedings with a full gospel feel and is perhaps the best track on the album. Next up are two singles ‘Into My Life’ and ‘Build a Fire’. The former typifies the pop funk I mentioned while the latter showcases the big productions and full sound which abound here.

He’s not averse to stretching out on lead guitar, and ‘Build a Fire’ sees Adam and the band letting rip to good effect.

‘Whistle to Blow’ changes the pace with some country rock dirty guitar, and is a highlight.
All in all, I think listeners will like this. It’s a good album. The only thing I’m unsure of is who the target audience is, with the aforementioned “pot pourri” of sounds?

Then again maybe he has a captive Scandanavian ready made audience. I just saw him successfully tackle Tom Petty’s “Breakdown” on Norwegian TV and he seems set! ***1/2

Review by Iain McGonigal

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 20 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 22 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
RIOGHAN Hands (Inverse Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)