Close your eyes. It is nighttime somewhere in middle America. There is a soft drizzle of rain. In the distance you can hear the sound of a train whistle which sounds suspiciously like a pedal steel guitar. Through the mist you start to hear a voice. There is no twang, no harshness. It is soft and reassuring. It is sad and yet hopeful. That is the sound of Peter Bradley Adams. And that is what we got for nearly an hour last night at the Hotel Cafe. Peter, backed by a solid three piece band (Josh Grange on guitar and pedal steel guitar, JImmy Paxson on drums and Ian Walker on bass) and backing vocalist (the beautiful and very talented Priya Darshini), created the atmosphere that makes his CDs such a joy to listen to. Actually, solid doesn’t really do these guys justice. They all are accomplished musicians with great credentials.
Peter sang songs from his latest CDs as well as a couple of brand new songs (he intro-ed one song by saying this is the name, “so far”). The highlight of the evening was a song that opened with a Raaga, a style of music from India, sung by Priya, and then segued it into “Angeles”. It was a gorgeous arrangement.
Peter has a very relaxed, humble and happy style onstage. It helped create a very appreciative crowd. In fact, he got a real encore. There was no plan to return to the stage, but, and this is so unusual for L.A., the crowd would not stop clapping. And so, he returned, re-plugged in the guitars and sang a great version of “Keep Us”.
This is the first of 5 or 6 upcoming concerts for me and it was a great start.
Peter's CD is available here: http://tinyurl.com/itunesPBATraces
1 comment:
Bruce,
That's such a wonderful review. Thanks so much from Peter's manager. Please pass on that the best way for people to support independent artists is to share their authorized free songs and spread the word about them. Here's three free Peter songs - one from each album - no email, sign up or registration is required: www.peterbradleyadams.com/free/ep
All the best, Marc
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