“I don’t believe it’s who you are born, it’s always the choices you choose.” That’s a line from “My Bird” one of my favourite tracks off “Fulcrum”, ADAM PETER SMITH’s debut album; and I feel it’s a great line to sum up this album. As much as you can say some people are born musically talented, you are not simply born with the musical ability that Adam has.
ADAM PETER SMITH has been around the Notts scene for a few years, yet, had never got around to officially releasing anything. Well, turns out that’s cos he was working on this absolute beauty of a full twelve track album! Most known for his solo Acoustic-Folk endeavours, this album sees Adam backed by a full band – which allows for a much bigger sound, and also adds room for some beautiful harmonies too.
The albums plucky guitar intro leads us straight into “The Sun”; a warm (see what we did there?) uplifting tune that shows off Adam’s vocal range. With one of the catchiest melodies on the album, it kicks things off to a great start. It’s hard to get across just how catchy “dah ah ah awn” is in words, but have a listen to the album and you’ll see what I mean.
Title track “Fulcrum” is the big crowd sing a long in Adam’s repertoire. Having been released a few months before the album, it helped generate a fair bit of excitement, and for good reason – it’s a truly stunning piece of music. With more woah oh’s than Mumford and Son’s entire back catalogue; we reckon this’ll go down a treat live!
“The Way We Fall” is a particular standout track on the album for me, as it shows a new dimension to Adam’s sound. With a falsetto that would make even Justin Timberlake jealous, this track shows just how varied the album is.
“I Will Return” offers an almost Celtic sound. Seriously, it sounds like a soundtrack to an epic battle scene in Braveheart or something. With string sections galore, it truly is a beautiful song, and showcases Adam’s vocal range incredibly well. Maybe it could be used as a soundtrack to Scottish Independence day or something…
Overall, this is an brilliant debut album. A welcoming, varied, and highly enjoyable one at that. The quality of this album is very high, and if there’s any justice in this world, it will be heard by a lot of people. Although, as I’m sure that Lemar bloke once said, there isn’t much justice in the world…
Yours in Love of New Music,
Sam Nahirny x
