As there are so many videos from this round of promo, instead of doing a post for each, I've put them all together in the embedded playlist below along with some brief comments. There are 15 performances in 14 videos in at 8 different stations. There should be more but we don't have anything yet for Sirius XM.
95.5 WPLJ New York
WWFM features Kevin strumming on guitar, and as before, I still feel that there's something slightly unpleasant about the sound. Maybe it's one string that's affecting the balance of the chords, I don't have enough expertise to put my finger on it. The performance has quite a lively energy and it's rather endearing to see Adam twisting around on his swivel chair. I'm pleased to hear Adam still changing it up with a lovely run on 'now' and notable variations at the end.
This BTIKM has only a guitar accompaniment so I'm thrilled they decided to dispense with the drum machine. It's very quiet, all the better for hearing Adam's gentle voice, which has quite a bit of an echo. We realise it's only quiet because the mic's too far away and someone comes to move it closer. The expression on Adam's face when it happens is priceless but he's unaffected by it, showing no signs of being distracted with the beautiful vocals and harmonies.
Fresh 102.7 FM New York
Again, there's something with the guitar that sounds imperfect to me in this WWFM. There are more variations to this one and I really like the low 'Just keep coming around' and how Adam plays with the timing at the end. He takes the unusual step of singing a final 'me' which doesn't sound like 'may'.
He sounds wonderful on this slightly mournful BTIKM, even though there is a shaky moment at 'All along' from which he quickly recovers. There's less grain in his voice than some of the other versions but there are so many pretty embellishments, especially on the 'whoa's near the end.
B104 Allentown
This WWFM sounds quite different with lovely improvisations in both the melody of riffs and the timing.
BTIKM has a wonderful ending which alternates rapidly between power and tenderness, a bit like the contrasting sides of himself in the video.
94.5 PST Princeton
This BTIKM is a bouncy one that sounds rushed compared to some of the others. I realise that I always look forward to listening to ending of his performances, not only for the crescendoes but I think he's at his best and vocally most creative when he's outside of the confines of song structure. This is one ending that I love, where his sweet falsetto floats like the chirping of a songbird at dawn.
This WWFM features lots of the rougher texture of Adam's voice.
Q102 (Mix 106.1) Philly
This WWFM, although acoustic, has a harder edge than the others.
It's during this performance of BTIKM that I really get to appreciate the the less-is-more beauty of the bridge which goes from a hectic plucking of the guitar evoking the chaotic feeling of being rushed, to the soothing tranquility of ''Cause I need you now'. It's like the climax of the song, counter-intuitively, is a diminuendo. A powerful, belting performance.
B98.5 Jersey Shore
Unusual for any performance, this mini-set has no speakers set up for the audience. It's my dream to be able to hear Adam's actual, unprocessed singing voice that hasn't gone through any audio equipment. Lucky them. This is the first performance where Adam skips all the yodelly parts, and I actually prefer it as it sounds more elegant. Without backing vocals, Adam balances his delicate falsetto with some belting freestyling at the end.
WWFM is powerful and more aggressive than the other versions.
94.3 The Point
BTIKM is rather fast and bouncy, again without backing vocals and yodelly parts. Adam is spectacular in voice in both falsetto and belt.
There is little to report about this WWFM other than the voice being near perfect.
92.7 WOBM
Adam seems to have only sung WWFM at this station. There's not a lot that's particularly different about this version but this is as perfect as it gets.
nice reviews!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeletePan 3/4/2012 12:30 PM
ReplyDeleteWas Adam's round of promo a fight worth fighting? Yes and no.All those performances proved again how good he is singing live, how "gentle voice", "lovely improvisations", "delicate falsetto", "pretty embellishments", he has/does , how intelligently he adjusted the songs to inappropriate venues. These very abilities were his enemies, too. Could his performances be considered soppy by the djs? They were followed by...nothing, his army of fans voting, voting, voting made the djs broadcast BTIKM. I have my own private war with the djs from here, there, everywhere. Are some of them simply (musically) illiterate,incapable of recognizing good, better from the best, and what the f...k, why bother , if they sound identical autotuned or not? Or are they a bunch of homophobes hating everybody that does not match their area of comfort, (poor) knowledge of music or intersts? I don't want Adam to sing like a metal rocker, I love his tender, gentle sides. But his more powerful, aggressive EMAs, Leno and Ellen live performances were perfect, chirpings, yodelling under control. No, I lied, I have a fantasy: Adam fronting Nightwish.
Pan, it has been noted that despite Adam doing all this promo, some radio stations have yet to add BTIKM to their playlists. The feedback from the DJs about his live performances has been universally positive though. Maybe it's a more a matter of suitability of the song not being pop enough for some stations. I still think it's worth it because he's laying the groundwork for what's to come. I think he's also learning a lot and is figuring out radio listeners' tastes and adjusting his set accordingly. Plus, from a selfish point of view, we get a ton of goodies!
DeleteDo you have mp3s of your favorites please?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to narrow it down to my favourites as there are so many I have yet to watch! I won't be posting download links here but keep an eye on my twitter feed.
DeleteHey, arent u gonna upload improved versions of chokehold and cuckoo? i luv hw u edit the live performances nd make dm worth watching,,,im getting loads f links of d 2 songs ovr d net, bt i didnt gv a damn abt those,,,,plz plz, im entreating u, plz create improved versions of d 2 live tracks, cuz God alone knws wen he'll b officially releasing dm...
ReplyDelete-Emily
Emily, I'm thinking about it but I'm not sure I can afford the time. Plus I'm not sure I'll be able to make that much of a difference to the quality of videos out there.
DeletePan 4/3/2012 6:41PM
ReplyDelete"By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept..."
Hey, Lambosessed, it's been a month and we miss you!
Pan, thanks for noticing! Have been too busy sorting out all the performances but will hopefully post summaries of everything soon, hang on in there and thanks for sticking around!
DeleteAs usual, your dissections of Adam's vocal parts are impeccable. You notice all the subtleties, nuances and variations with the ear of a trained musician.
ReplyDeleteYou and I have been talking about Kevin's guitar playing in general. The first thing that I noticed was how the lower strings on the guitar were tuned way down. This made for some unusual fingerings and to my ears at least some unnecessary overtones and drones. I think I understand where he was coming from; he was trying to fill up the sound when really Adam's voice is showcase enough. I have often said that Adam sings like a lead guitar player. The way he riffs and improvises on melodies is unsurpassed by any vocalist I've ever heard. Also, I have heard Kevin hit more wrong notes then any of Adam's other guitar players. One that was particularly cringe worthy happened in Dallas on the Kidd Craddock show. I know I have pointed that out before, but I think it was that clunker that got him replaced on guitar duty. I don't know, obviously, but it was really bad as that's a high profile show and gets lots of hits on YouTube.
Immediately people jumped on Tommy's playing. I don't think the problem was his playing that first week as much as it was a matter of nerves. It is a lot harder to play for twenty people than a few thousand because you can see their little eyes staring right at you. And of course some people were waiting to pounce on the fact that it wasn't Monte. We all know the Tommy haters out there.
Since that is not the topic of this post, I will just reiterate that in my opinion Kevin made the backing music more elaborate and complicated than it needed to be. It became a distraction instead of a good musical accompaniment and I think Adam realized that. He is after all a perfectionist.
He wouldn't have a guitarist around that he didn't respect. Having played with Brian May (a guitar God!) and Nile Rodgers (who Tommy most plays like with his blues influence and which the music of Trespassing needs. Playing those funk "stems" which are partial chords played with a lot of syncopation and halfstep slides that are far from easy if you do it with precision-and I can cite performances where he does just that) I trust Adam's judgment.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on. I think it would be fun for me to dissect Monte's playing as well as Tommy's. The lead guitar is the other main melodic instrument in a band and therefore plays an even more important role. Of course the weakest link in any band pulls the whole thing down a notch.
Let me just end this whole thing by pointing out that I have taught guitar for fifteen years in all genres (including metal and blues and classical guitar) and played in bands for thirty years at least, one of which toured South Korea, Iceland, Germany and played a house gig in Helsinki for one month. For the USO, we played a UN enclave in Bosnia, and outposts too many to name. We also played regionally in Texas throughout the South in the US.
For anybody who cares, you can still buy our CDs on iTunes and CD baby. The name of that band was Blanche Fury. I've played in numerous bands before and after that one, so I have firsthand knowledge of which I speak. If you've read this far, thank you so much. :-)
paulasee, thank you for your detailed comments. They've very informative and I've learned so much from you. I'm sure my readers really appreciate it too. Kevin's mistake on Kidd Kraddick was really unpleasant to listen to and I think you're right that it was what got him replaced as that was his last gig with Adam. I look forward to reading more of your critiques from a musician's standpoint, so feel free to expound!
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