London-born but New York-based Adam Masterson represents the timeless ideal of a rock star - classic guitar, tousled hair, vintage shades - yet he does so for the here and now. Embracing old school influences but with copious amounts of spirit and soul added into the mix, he emerges as an outlier built from his own design, bucking trends while simultaneously emanating stadium-sized charisma.
He has shared stages with the likes of Tori Amos, Amy Winehouse and Stereophonics (in actual stadiums), guested with Patti Smith and Mick Jones (The Clash), while publications such as The Guardian, Billboard and American Songwriter have all gushed with praise about his previous output.
Masterson’s diverse sounding new album, ‘Time Bomb’, is just his second, and it comes a full two decades after his debut effort, ‘One Tale Too Many’. Reflecting both the personal and musical journeys that he has been on over the years, it switches gears several times over the course of twelve songs that are the very definition of eclectic.
The energetic and rousing Springsteen-style workout ‘Wild Wolves’ is offset by a louche and very British panache on the anthemic and Mott-ish ‘Bring Back The Freaks’, ‘Crazy Rain’ is a confident mid-tempo Americana rocker that contrasts with a dramatic and cinematic title song that opens the album, while the Paul Weller-ish gospel-soul vibe of ‘Take a Little Love’ is counterbalanced with Van Morrison-esque atmospherics in the record closing ‘Leaves Against The Sky’.
A number of guest musicians joined Masterson in the album recording process, including guitarists David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel, Scott Walker) and Leo Abrahams (Paolo Nutini, Regina Spektor), bassists Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Charlie Jones (Goldfrapp, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page) and Brett Bass (Gregg Allman), drummers Charlie Drayton (The Cult, Divinyls), Jeremy Stacey (King Crimson, Ryan Adams) and Omar Hakim (David Bowie, Journey), with Rob Clores (Jesse Malin, Charli XCX) and Ben Stivers (Lyle Lovett, Matchbox Twenty) on piano and Peter Tickell (Sting) contributing mandolin and violin parts.
Tracklisting:
1. Time Bomb
2. Bring Back The Freaks
3. Chains
4. Take A Little Love
5. Run Away
6. Avenue Walk
7. The Kiss
8. Wild Wolves
9. Crazy Rain
10. Rusty Cans And Dusty Alleys
11. Cry With No Tears
12. Leaves Against The Sky