Johnny Adams

Johnny Adams - Man Of My Word - 1998 - Rounder

Adams kept cranking out solo albums for the Rounder imprint and this one was the ninth such effort, finding him in tip-top shape vocally and in full command of his consummate powers. In addition to top-notch new material from Dan Penn ("It Ain't the Same Thing"), Carson Whitsett ("Bulldog Break His Chain"), Bobby Charles ("I Don't Want to Know") and Jonnie Barnett ("Going Out of My Mind Sale"), Adams takes on William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water," Brook Benton's "Looking Back" and Percy Sledge's "It Tears Me Up." Closing out the album is a duet with Aaron Neville on the gospel chestnut "Never Alone." © Cub Koda © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved
http://www.allmusic.com/album/man-of-my-word-r368243

Johnny Adams, the regal "Tan Canary" from New Orleans, sings with pure, soul-stirring emotion on Man Of My Word (Rounder 11661-2155-2; 59:57). Rebounding from a life-threatening illness in 1997, Adams is back in classic belting form with this collection of heart-wrenching ballads ("Even Now," "Now You Know," "It Tears Me Up"), infectious funk ("It Ain't The Same Thing," "Bulldog Break His Chain"), slow blues ("This Time I'm Gone For Good"), country ("I Don't Want To Know") and good ol' Southern soul ("Going Out Of My Mind Sale," "Up And Down World"). Another highlight here is an a cappella rendition of the gospel chestnut "Never Alone," performed with Aaron Neville, Nick Daniels, Earl J. Smith, Jr., and Charles Elam III, which closes out this superb deep soul showcase in majestic fashion. By & © Bill Milkowski [Originally published in November 1998] © 1999–2012 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved http://jazztimes.com/articles/7937-man-of-my-word-johnny-adams

Judging by this, his last recording, Johnny Adams had a lot of music left in him when he died at age 67. As with all of his remarkably consistent Rounder efforts, Man of My Word is marked by conscientious song selection, expert backing, and, foremost, Adams's absolutely commanding vocals. With producer Scott Billington back at the helm, and backed by a crack session crew led by fellow New Orleans stalwart Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Adams tackles this selection of soul tunes with characteristic verve and savvy; the man simply didn't have it in him to sing a note carelessly. Highlights here include Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham's Memphis-styled "It Tears Me Up," Bobby Charles's easy-grooving "I Don't Want to Know," and the gospel closer, "Never Alone." But it's all good. It really is. © Steven Stolder © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Man-My-Word-Johnny-Adams/dp/B000009NTD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1336918077&sr=1-1

Nobody holds a note, and ends a note like Johnny Adams. Nobody. In fact, nobody does anything with a note like Johnny Adams, for he truly is one of the most unique, versatile, and downright talented singers to have drawn breath in the last 70 years. The CD you are holding in your hand is something very special. Sure, it's a new release by Johnny Adams and a triumphant one at that, as it marks his return to the styles of music he first became known for - R&B and Soul. Yes, it's beautifully sung from start to finish and the musicians' empathy between each other, and the singer, will take your breath away. Of course, Scott Billington's production job is alive, wide open and faultless. And naturally the choice of songs is excellent too. I'm just stating the obvious here because these are the things we've come to expect when the above combinations of talent gather in one room to make music. No - the reason I rate this album as special is because together they have created a MASTERPIECE. Find that hard to believe? A rapid, over-zealous, burst of enthusiasm maybe? On the contrary, I listened repeatedly to this collection of songs, and each time I was once again moved, once again floored, and once again amazed at how much I'd missed the last time. Playing any of the tracks over and over revealed a previously unheard nuance, lick, or phrase, which threw the song into a whole new dimension. Unfortunately, things like this don't occur with a new release very often, but I soon realized this album was taking me to a higher plateau. A plateau only accessed by being visibly moved from an artists work. This collection immediately stands alongside the cream of classic soul albums made in the last 35 years. Johnny Adams is always on fine vocal form, that's a given, but whether he was motivated by something spiritual or spurred on by the quality of the musicians - I don't know. What I do know is that Johnny has rarely sounded better than he does on this fabulous set. His voice is strong, powerful, elastic, and above all drenched with soul. The group of musicians assembled here are a real `dream team', each having a thorough love, respect and understanding of how soul music works. They play with such depth of feeling that I find myself comparing them to the Stax and Muscle Shoals groups from soul's heyday, when spaces were just as important as notes. Walter `Wolfman' Washington makes his first appearance on wax, backing Johnny, since his cameo appearance on 1993's 'Good Morning Heartache'. Together with Memphis guitar legend Michael Toles, the two make an unbeatable combination. Keyboard work comes via another music legend, David Torkanowsky, who's playing is as elegant and graceful as ever. The rock-solid drum and bass heartbeat of this amazing band are supplied by the telepathically connected Donell Spencer and George Porter, Jr. Lastly, the tear-stained horns provided by Scott Thompson, Jim Spake, and Craig Klein are just out of this world and at times, I think they even out-Memphis the Memphis Horns. Buy this CD and pay your last respects to one of Soul Music's real giants. - Excerpt From Sleevenotes By & © Len Romano ***** from Swansong From Vocal Genius December 15, 1999 By & © Len Romano © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Man-My-Word-Johnny-Adams/dp/B000009NTD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1336918077&sr=1-1

The late New Orleans born Johnny Adams, was one of the world's greatest jazz, soul, Gospel and R&B singers. This was Johnny's last studio album before his death in 1998. The album includes the great guitarists Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Michael Toles, David Torkanowsky on keyboards, and Jim Spake on saxophone. Marvellous vocals, songs and musicianship all round. An important and very underrated soul album, and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Johnny's great "Room With A View Of The Blues" album and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps@: File size = 132 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Even Now - David Egan, Buddy Flett
2. It Ain't The Same Thing - Jonnie Barnett, Dan Penn, Carson Whitsett
3. This Time I'm Gone For Good - Deadric Malone, Oscar Lee Perry
4. Going Out Of My Mind Sale - Jonnie Barnett, Butch Dillon
5. Now You Know - Copyright Control
6. Up And Down World - Deadric Malone, Vernon Morrison
7. I Don't Want To Know - Bobby Charles
8. Man Of My Word - Alan Mirikitani, Denis Walker
9. You Don't Miss Your Water - William Bell
10. Bulldog Breaks His Chain - Billy Henderson, Carson Whitsett, Stuart Ziff
11. It Tears Me Up - Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn
12. Looking Back - Brook Benton, Belford C. Hendricks, Clyde Otis
13. Never Alone - (with Aaron Neville) - Public Domain

MUSICIANS

Walter "Wolfman" Washington - Guitar (Soloist on "This Time I'm Gone For Good", and "You Don't Miss Your Water")
Michael Toles - Guitar (Soloist on "I Don't Want To Know", "Man Of My Word", "Bulldog Breaks His Chain"
George Porter, Jr. - Bass
David Torkanowsky - Keyboards (Soloist on "It Ain't The Same Thing")
Donnell Spencer, Jr. - Drums
Jim Spake - Tenor & Baritone Saxophones (Soloist on "Now You Know", "Up And Down World", and "Looking Back")
Scott Thompson - Trumpet
Craig Klein - Trombone (Soloist on "Looking Back")
Johnny Adams, Aaron Neville, Nick Daniels, Charles Elam III, Earl J. Smith, Jr. - Vocals
Elaine Foster - Background Vocals

BIO

Renowned around his Crescent City home base as "the Tan Canary" for his extraordinary set of soulfully soaring pipes, veteran R&B vocalist Johnny Adams tackled an exceptionally wide variety of material for Rounder in his later years; elegantly rendered tribute albums to legendary songwriters Doc Pomus and Percy Mayfield preceded forays into mellow, jazzier pastures. But then, Adams was never particularly into the parade-beat grooves that traditionally define the New Orleans R&B sound, preferring to deliver sophisticated soul ballads draped in strings. Adams sang gospel professionally before crossing over to the secular world in 1959. Songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie -- the woman responsible for cleaning up the bawdy lyrics of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" enough for worldwide consumption -- convinced her neighbor, Adams, to sing her tasty ballad "I Won't Cry." The track, produced by a teenaged Mac Rebennack, was released on Joe Ruffino's Ric logo, and Adams was on his way. He waxed some outstanding follow-ups for Ric, notably "A Losing Battle" (the Rebennack-penned gem proved Adams' first national R&B hit in 1962) and "Life Is a Struggle." After a prolonged dry spell, Adams resurfaced in 1968 with an impassioned R&B revival of Jimmy Heap's country standard "Release Me" for Shelby Singleton's SSS imprint that blossomed into a national hit. Even more arresting was Adams' magnificent 1969 country-soul classic "Reconsider Me," his lone leap into the R&B Top Ten; in it, he swoops effortlessly up to a death-defying falsetto range to drive his anguished message home with fervor. Despite several worthy SSS follow-ups ("I Can't Be All Bad" was another sizable seller), Adams never traversed those lofty commercial heights again (particularly disappointing was a short stay at Atlantic). But he found a new extended recording life at Rounder; his 1984 set, From the Heart, proved to the world that this Tan Canary could still chirp like a champ. With producer Scott Billington, he recorded some nine albums for the label prior to his cancer-related death on September 14, 1998. © Bill Dahl © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-adams-p50432/biography