Survival of The Soulful

The first time I heard Oleta Adam's voice was last winter. A friend lent me her copy of Adams' first album, Circle of One, a decision she regretted once she realized how much work it was going to take to get the album back. Evolution, Adams' second album, is equally dynamic and gripping.

The ballads "My Heart Won't Lie" and "Hold Me for a While" are enjoyable, but lack the gusto that makes others on the album stand out. Perhaps these songs would appeal more to the "adult contemporary" crowd. "Hold me, fold me in your arms/Baby be my refuge and keep me from the storm/Will you enclose me, keep the villain out/Darling isn't that what you and I are all about..." ("Hold Me for a While"). These songs are perfect for a romantic evening on board a cruise ship, with a gentle breeze and a sky full of stars. Don't be surprised to find them hits on the "easy listening" station. Their relative safety in conforming to mainstream pop ballad expectations contrasts with "When Love Comes to the Rescue" and "Lover's Holiday." These two songs blend synthesizers, acoustic piano and heavily syncopated rhythms into a silky tropical sound. Deep piano bass notes and Adams' voice soar together irresistably.

Somehow Ms. Adams manages to court pop sound and still keep her songs full of the unexpected and original. Strong elements of jazz and rhythm & blues underlay her instrumentals. For instance, David Sanborn solos on alto saxophone for Adams' smoldering version of James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." Adams' voice brings far more desperation and emotion to the lyrics than Taylor's version. Plus, the low-pitched crooning here will intensify your appreciation of her range in later cuts like Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind." The fact that these two songs are out-and-out `torch singing' shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering the amazing blend of influences Adams mixes. Hers is a rich sound, drawing on the legacies of people from Billie Holiday to Anita Baker and Barbara Streisand.

As if were not already clear that this is an album you shouldn't miss, Adams' strongest songs are those in which she pushes her music one step further, into heavily syncopated or even world beat percussions, and introduces a strong gospel element to her singing. Cross this with electric guitar and you have some very danceable tracks. "Evolution," "Window of Hope" and especially "Easier to Say Goodbye" are her most daring and complex songs. These are the only tracks to use backup vocals, and the gospel-choir sound this produces is uplifting to say the least.

The quality of the music, thankfully, isn't compromised by that of the lyrics. "We need a love revival/Somewhere for us to begin/To take apart the wounded hearts/and love them back together again/...gotta find the reasons why/It's easier to say goodbye" ("Easier to Say Goodbye"). Trumpets blare and sway; snare drums rock you gently; Oleta croons; your roommate walks in just in time to catch you belting that last note into your spare shoe-come-microphone.