Search - Adam Carroll :: South of Town

Absolutely Brilliant Texas Songwriting

William E. Adams | 12/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Adam Carroll gained notoriety with this album, and deservedly so. I know of no one else who can apply Tibetan Bhuddism and Hinduism to the on-the-way-to-school snuff-dipping that so many of my friends and I enjoyed back in high school (from "Bubble Gum"). The consequences of his actions: he runs into a busload full of Tibetan monks; "we played Chinese Checkers and they beat me every time." Adam's songwriting, however, is not to be outdone by his guitar-playing. In many of the songs, it is hard to believe that he is playing solo. In others, his accompaniment is well-composed but is nevertheless limited. In short, the man is creative and talented beyond the dreams of most people on today's Nashville scene. I hope he makes it big there someday. Wait, no I don't, I don't want him to become the standard "modern" country writer or singer -- I want him to stay here in Texas and keep playing for the fans he has, not sell out to the Nashville labels. Keep up the great work, Adam."

Fun, fun, fun from a fresh folkie with five-star talent

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 11/16/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When a friend sent me this CD as a gift a few weeks ago, I didn't have time to listen to it right away, but I did read the lyric sheet and I wasn't terribly impressed. I thought "Long songs about unlikeable losers...this might turn out to be a grim downer." My, but I was wrong. Hearing the songs, especially with Adam's fine guitar and harmonica work and the backup work by several other musicians, is a totally different experience than reading the lines. Adam has attitude, but with humor. He has technique that is consistently interesting. His presentation is a pleasant variant, not quite "singing" and not quite "talking blues". He has hints of Peter LaFarge, Tom Rush, the young Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Todd Snider without deliberately modeling himself after any of them. This is a 46-minute introduction to a singer/songwriter/guitarist who has a bright future. All 12 of the songs are worth hearing, and it's rare that I find a release without two or three selections I want to skip after hearing only once. If you like folk/blues/rock and quirky individualism, give Adam a chance. The only reason I give the album four stars instead of five is that this one will be remembered for individual thoughts and lines and rhymes within each song, rather than for any one song being totally brilliant and unforgettable. Even better songwriting lies in his future, but listening to this fine release, one is positive that the masterpiece album is but a short time away."