ADAM
LEVY
GET YOUR GLOW ON
2003 Lost Wax Music
"New
York-based guitarist Adam Levy spent a year
touring with Norah Jones. For his solo debut,
he and longtime collaborator Rob Burger (organ
and piano) assembled a crack unit of Memphis
musicians for an homage to Southern soul. They
include drummer Steve Potts (Booker T. &
the MG's, Al Green), bassist David Smith (Luther
Allison), saxist Jim Spake (Arthur Alexander),
and trumpeter Scott Thompson (James Carr, Rufus
Thomas).
Recorded
in Memphis, nine of the 11 tracks are infused
with the ambiance of classic Stax/Volt, Hi,
and Goldwax grooves. Two solo acoustic songs,
Charlie Rich's 'Graveyardville' and Levy's 'Acoustic
Glow,' seem out of place. Instrumentals 'Bib
Front,' 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and the title
track are predominantly influenced by the three
M's: MG's, Mar-Keys, and Meters. The funk-grinders
— Levy's 'Trash-talking Pixie' and Will
Bernard's 'Pursuit of Happiness' — are
redolent of acid-jazz organ masters Charles
Earland and Larry Young.
It's
the fine vocal tracks that will get the most
attention, however, and not just for Jones'
sultry version of Elvis' 'Love Me Tender.' The
other vocal tracks are truer to the spirit of
Southern soul, and are, from a sold fan's viewpoint,
the album's best tunes: the gospel-tinged ballad
'No Easy Way Down' (written by Gerry Goffin
and Carole King and recorded by Dusty Springfield
on Dusty in Memphis), Otis Clay's joyous
reading of Bob Dylan's 'Tonight I'll Be Staying
Here with You,' and Memphis newcomer Susan Marshall's
uplifting 'Even If It Takes a Lifetime.'
Levy's
uncluttered guitar playing is lean and clean,
his shimmering minimalism inspired by the triple
pillars of Memphis soul guitar: Steve Cropper,
Reggie Young, and Teenie Hodges. Classic Southern
soul is alive and well on Get Your Glow On."
—
Blues Revue
