Adam Rich – You Can’t Escape Life – Review

adamrich200Adam Rich

You Can’t Escape Life
by Scott Hefflon

Without one consideration, Adam Rich could be accused of unsigned band syndrome: Trying every style imaginable, partly to explore influences and see what pleases him and his fans, but also because he’s yet to find his style, his music legs – so to speak – or at least a manager or record label that’ll recommended “pick a fuckin’ style.” That one consideration is being a guitarist before being a songwriter. Adam Rich experiments with tone and style, sometimes rockin’ out, sometimes letting his guitar do the funky chicken, sometimes doing that jazz fusion shit guitarists do that no one besides guitarists can stand.

Adam Rich isn’t a guitar whiz, not some Vai or Satriani prodigy, but he can sing with the guitar about as well as he can with his voice, which ain’t bad. To these ears, the best tune is the dusty “Vulture” with its foot-tapping beat and bright chorus tucked into a noirish tale of getting dressed up with yer lady and going for a roll as storm warnings and high winds scream around you. But these songs are not always meant to be pop tunes, some are vehicles for a riff, a tone, or a melodic fishtail that caught his attention and became the basis of the song. Like the theme and butt-wiggle riff of “Go Away Mr. Telemarketer.” Everyone can relate with the lyrics, chuckle and tear their hair out along with him, and while his howling misses a lot of the notes at the end, when’s the last time you freaked out in key and in synch?
(www.lovemuffinrecords.com)