At some point in one of the later decades of the last century, the term ‘classic rock’ came into play.
Now, it is hard to say what the original coiners of the phrase had in mind. Was it the ’50s, the ’60s, or the ’70s? Yet, from the current standpoint, it seems to include almost anything, from the harder-edged rock of the late ’60s, hard rock in any shape and form, as well as the sound favored by legendary artists like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp.
Of course, today there is quite a number of artists whose work can be filed under that extremely broad category; broad, as is the quality of the music those artists come up with.
But let us focus on one such artist that has come up with an album that actually can be connected to classic rock, but contains enough individual elements and quality to make it worth listening to.
New Haven Conn. singer-songwriter Seth Adam is such an artist, and his latest album Fits And Starts And Stops continues that Springsteen/Mellencamp line later continued by, say Counting Crows and current Americana fave Jason Isbell. Actually, David Immerglück, guitarist from Counting Crows, produced several of Adam’s tracks.
All the better qualities of Adam’s songwriting and its connections to classic rock and Americana can be heard on tracks like “Where Is Your Heart” and “The Trouble I’ve Been In,” as well as throughout this album.
Discussing American life in these shifting and unsteady times, Adam paints a haunting picture of incoherent circus showmen and the social justice movements that threaten to upend such monkey business. “In many ways, it’s a call to action,” Adam says. “I know we can work together for a brighter day after this storm.”
