Adamson describes his sound as cinematic funk, which was a term I couldn’t grasp until I listened to The King of Nothing Hill. There is an atmosphere and a quality to Adamson’s unique sound that you can almost touch as well as hear.
Having been one of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, having written several film scores, and having been involved in the punk explosion with Magazine, Barry Adamson is a versatile musician. So deep is Adamson’s voice, and so keen is he to seduce the microphone through speech rather than song, that he may now find himself being compared to that other funky Barry - Barry White.
There is an other-worldly quality to many of the tracks on The King of Nothing Hill which draws you quite willingly into Adamson’s funked up world. The vibey Le Matin Des Noire is one such track, with its freaky French samples, and Adamson whispering huskily ‘I love Paris, baby, but it don’t love me. Gentlemen start your engines.’ This ten minute track becomes like the funky score from a disturbing sci-fi movie.
Tracks like Cinematic Soul and the first single, Black Amour, are excellent modern funk tracks, with Adamson alternating between singing and talking over the funky soundtrack he has created for himself.
It might not move any butts on the dance-floor, but if its atmospheric, deep, dark funk that gets you going, then The King of Nothing Hill could be just what you’re looking for.
www.barryadamson.com
www.mute.com
Reviewed
by Fraser Syme
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