Adam Masterson - 'One Tale Too Many' (Gravity/BMG)
3/5
By: Thomas Hannan
It's a question of being slightly out of time. There aren't many brave enough to argue against the quality of 'Blonde On Blonde', 'Nebraska' or 'Astral Weeks', but equally few in today's pop music game that would count them as direct influences. Step right up, Adam Masterson, a fresh-faced, firm believer in the timeless quality of simple, decent songs that make up the aforementioned records. Putting fashion and modernism to one side, you have to admit, the boy's got a point.
The first thing that strikes you about this debut album, and in particular its marvellous stand-out track 'Sarah Queen Of England' is that it sounds exactly, even somewhat scarily, like Bob Dylan. After all, with lines such as 'you wonder how she can hold you so tight, but love you so lose', how could it not? You then realise that never, ever, is this a criticism of anything. If you're going to wear your influences in your sleeve, you at least make sure they're some pretty cool ones. Not only does the track in question do just that, it's the perfection of everything that Masterson hints at in the other songs - the middle-ground between excessively emotional and nonchalance perfectly mastered.
It's not something Adam manages every time. 'Sarah...' may be just the trick, but it's outweighed by moments where you either feel he's gone a little too far over the top (you can almost see the tears running down his face on 'Same Sad Story'), or lacks enough sincerity, the likes of 'We'll Go Walking' proving a bit too middle-of-the-road for many's liking.
Even when he doesn't get it all running quite so perfectly, Masterson consistently enjoys the ability to craft a civilized tune, something that keeps his less than inspired moments from slipping into annoyance and provides his numerous high points (add a sultry but remarkable 'Sunlight Song' to the growing list) with a wholesome, solid structure. There are some instances however where he doesn't quite know where to let things end. 'One Tale Too Many' may seem slightly miserly at only eight tracks, but these are some (at times overly) long songs. Appreciation is due for the attention to songwriting detail, yes, but the fact remains that for an album which seems to rely on its pleasantness rather than providing any real surprises, there's no real reason why any of these tracks need to break the five-minute mark. As it happens, three quarters of them do.
The stripped-back nature of the recordings helps the cause of 'One Tale Too Many' no end. Recorded over a startlingly short four day period, the sound is raw, instead of swaggering, largely acoustic and personal, instead of hugely orchestrated, and detached from its audience. It means the abundance of emotions the album contains all sound for the most part convincing, not once relying on musical bombast to further their effectiveness, something which would completely ruin an otherwise fine album. The basic approach isn't something Masterson should feel he has to shed, as you get the impression the songs might suffer as a consequence. Never let this man spend more than 96 hours in a studio.
Never poor, sometimes slightly lacklustre and occasionally inspired beyond his years, in years to come Adam Masterson will be proud to have started his career with 'One Tale Too Many'. Where he goes next is anyone's guess, but let's hope that flair for great songs doesn't leave him. With a little refinement, it's going to provide some real delight.
Artists in this article: Adam Masterson
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