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Non-Prog CD Reviews

D.G. Adams Nest of Vipers Review by Gary Hill D.G. Adams is a singer-songwriter, and this is his latest set. His sound most often lands in the neighborhood of folk rock, but there are exceptions to that rule. This gets into folk prog territory at times. At other points he touches on jazz, blues and old time rock and roll. All in all, this is effective and quite varied. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review

F***er Starting in a folk rock sort of zone, that mellower sound carries a lot of this track. The angry lyrics stand in stark contrast to the rather gentle vocal approach. As you can probably guess, this track gets a major parental warning for the lyrics. In some ways the vocals here make me think of Cat Stevens a bit. This number drives out with some hard rocking textures later in the mix.

Queen of the Sky This piece gets a very minor advisory, too. I like the backing female vocal on the number. The whole track has a great folk prog vibe. This is an intriguing piece of music that really elevates the album. It is rich, dense and cool. The violin adds a lot to the mix when it is heard.

Vegas There is a blues vibe to this at the start. The cut shifts toward more of a mainstream folk rock vibe from there. That said, I can still hear some hints of prog in the mix. Again the female backing vocals are a nice touch.

I'm Writing To Say More of a traditional folk rock song, this is solid, but not a real standout. At least than two-and-a-half minutes of music, it's also a short one.

If I Ever Have A Woman Here we get a real old-school acoustic blues number. There are some hints of 1950s rock and roll built into this, too, though. The acoustic guitar solo and the piano really bring a lot of vintage magic to this piece.

Gravity Piano and voice start this in a dramatic fashion. The cut has a real artsy vibe to it as it builds outward. Eventually drums join as it heads into the first chorus. The arrangement fills out as the number continues to evolve. This is another with a definite progressive rock element to it. It's a powerful cut that's among the best here.

Platonic Lovers There is a bit of a jazzy texture here. Acoustic guitar and piano are a driving factors of the arrangement. The whole piece just oozes "cool."

Tell Me There is folk rock and prog rock merged on this interesting little number. It's not a highlight, but is very strong.

Hermana Hermosa As you might guess from the title, there is a Latin element to this piece. It's energetic, playful and a bit like a party presented as a song.

Father's Day This is a poignant cut. It's folk based and quite sedate. The violin brings a lot of magic to the table.

Running You'd expect a song titled "Running" to be up-tempo, and this lives up to that expectation. This is energetic and folk music based. It's a acoustic rocker, though. It's also one of the highlights here.

Nest of Vipers The title track is unusual. It has some decidedly mellow moments, but it also powers up into almost punk rock territory at times. The combination is a bit strange. This number doesn't work all that well for me, but it is among the most creative pieces here. It definitely brings variety to the table.

Coyoacán There is kind of a dreamy texture to this number. I really love the bass work on the piece. It's a classy cut that makes a great closer.

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