(All profits go to American Red Cross disaster relief through 10/25/05)
Shades of jazz, rock, pop and funk with pulsing grooves, a myriad of singers & instrumentalists, and incidental spoken word 'montages'. Lyrics range from the state of the heart to the state of the world, with a sense of irony, poetry, spirituality, storytelling and humor.
(Playing time: 1 hr. 8 min.)
For additional audio excerpts and graphics from this CD, visit:
www.differentdrummusic.com/et_al.htm
(or via 'Adam Levin website' link on this CD Baby page)
CRITIQUES:
"...a songwriter of exceptional talent and perception. I expect him to make a serious impact on the pop charts or on Broadway..." - Charles M. Young, Executive Editor, Musician Magazine
"...a uniquely gifted composer. His songs are powerful, perceptive, even provocative... a sensitive and intelligent performer. This is music everyone should hear." - Mike Stoller, Songwriter/Producer, Leiber & Stoller
"...articulate, clear-thinking... with something to say... the U2-school-of-conviction... songs with sincerity... excellent singers [with] great tonal quality and not a bum note among them." - The Music Paper
"Look out, Whitney Houston." - Toronto Star (on singer Wendy Boulding)
"Awesome... really great, hooky melodies." - Amy Lennard, Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist
"Great stuff! Remarkable quality and consistency for mastering material from so many sessions and situations." - Jonathan Keezing, Guitarist/Songwriter, Passion Records
CREDITS:
Compilation produced, remixed and mostly arranged and performed by Adam Levin, and engineered and mastered by Jay Mark. Additional mastering by The SoundLab.
Thanks to Wendy Boulding, Peter Stoller, David Brooks, Danny Obadia and Allison Adler for additional arranging, producing and/or performing.
Songs written by Adam Levin, with collaborative material by Wendy Boulding, David Brooks, Jonathan Keezing and Peter Stoller.
For additional liner notes, visit: www.differentdrummusic.com/et_al.htm
(or via 'Adam Levin website' link on this CD Baby page)
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Can accessible music be intelligent? And intelligent music passionate? Adam Levin tries to answer those questions with his music. Music that classical musicians have called jazz. And jazz musicians have called rock. And rock musicians? They've called it classical. With some pop, soul and funk sneaked in.
In fact, one could call Adam's work the "liberal arts" of music. One discipline is not enough. But that's predictable coming from a background of classical piano training, pop music listening, and European ("progressive") art rock, or jazz- and classical-rock fusion, and the "psychedelic" movement that ushered it in.
Adam has written well over a hundred songs and instrumental pieces, with an array of instrumentation. They run the gamut from pop to contemporary classical, sometimes combining contrasting elements. His lyrics range from the state of the heart to the state of the world, with a sense of irony, poetry, spirituality, storytelling and humor.
He has composed, written lyrics, arranged, produced, played keyboards and/or sung for numerous musical, performance and recording artists, and theatre. His songs have been accepted by major music publishing, performed at hundreds of events in North America and Europe, been featured on radio and television, and received critical acclaim.
He continues to record and perform in the New York tri-state area, including as a writer, arranger, keyboardist and vocalist for Wendy Boulding. He has written individually as well as with Wendy Boulding, David Brooks, Joe Lobell, Elena Rye Pellicciaro, Anne Ptasznik, Kathryn Sanders and Peter Stoller, nearly all of whom he has performed with.
He studied music composition, piano and musical theatre at Interlochen Center for the Arts/University of Michigan School of Music, Indiana University School of Music, and Berklee College of Music. Fortunately, he succeeded in not allowing any of it to interfere with his musical education. Despite his maverick nature, he has even received the occasional award. Even when they didn't know how to categorize his music.
You'll have to decide that for yourself.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.differentdrummusic.comTrack List:
1. Introduction
2. My Old Girlfriend
3. If I Gave You My Heart
4. It Makes No Sense (Antiwar protest)
5. Let It Go
6. I Can't Talk to You
7. ver bal o sis (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
8. Echo Inside My Heart
9. So Alive (Anthem for NYC Marathon)
10. The Price That You Pay
11. Walls Start Falling
12. Once More (Without Feeling) (Satire on music industry)
13. Stand Up (Anthem for mentally ill & dispossessed)
14. Our Perfect Love
15. Gone
16. Ride the White Horse (Lament of drug addiction)
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