Adam Levy: Washing Day

Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Wntr, 2008 by Kari Estrin

ADAM LEVY Washing Day Lost Wax 0701

This moody collection of songs and laidback vibe will wash over you more and more with each repeated listening. And, after letting it under your skin, you'll return to the title track over and over, viewing your own laundry chores with renewed enthusiasm and sultry romance. But that's the more wholesome and innocent side here, since the dominant themes are not really love songs, but songs laced with sexual desire and wanting.

For instance, "I Put A Spell On You" sounds as its title infers: slow and seductive, but trying to keep his love from straying. "Longest Day of the Year" captivates with backing vocals and a defined song structure, while the lyrics anticipate the long wait until his lover's appearance. And then there's the reflective "Unspoken" lamenting the fragility of relationships and the meaning of small actions, sung to us as if we're almost in his virtual reality.

Sounding equally as comfortable with more pop production and vocal stylings, Levy shows some attitude in the "I Can Promise You That" or while acknowledging obsessive desire in "In The Morning." The closing cut, the retro Beatlesque-sounding "Never Been Alone Like This," is delivered in an upbeat presentation, which nicely rounds out the album.

Levy's vocals are a bit rough and enticing, yet once in a while can slightly miss the mark under the "blanket" of texture. Nonetheless Levy's vocals captivate and lull us into his own world that he invites us into. Levy is better known for his solid guitar work as part of Norah Jones backing band. Although this is Levy's fourth solo album, hopefully Washing Day will bring Levy front and center as a writer and artist in his own right.