Greg Adkins Chase the Western Sky Independent Folk 11-06-2007

SCORE 92%

If you haven’t yet heard of indie artist Greg Adkins, prepare to get swept away. Chase the Western Sky is his fourth indie project, full of surprises. His sound is a warm blend of alt-country, rock, and folk, with a rootsy vibe chaser, and his songwriting is equally appealing. Also in his favor is the strong team behind him, including producer Chris Rosser, Andrew Osenga’s always impressive guitars, and Bill Pratt’s truly spectacular steel guitar. In fact, the strings are a highlight in themselves on this very solid album.

The cheerful opener “Old Radio” may be the most country-oriented track on Chase the Western Sky, a warm fiddle dancing through the effervescent rhythms and romantic lyrics. Actually, warmth is the operative word throughout the album’s eleven tracks, immediately obvious in the opening chorus: “four bare feet/ on a hardwood floor/on a warm Tennessee night.” I enjoyed the honest, insightful lyrics of “My Own Worst Enemy,” but the guitars outshine everything here: steel, baritone, and otherwise.

Adkins’ soft vocals are the perfect instrument for the intimate, descriptive lyrics of “The End of You and Me,” addressing death, loss and being left behind over delicate piano. The wildly romantic and melodic “Old Shoes” is one of the year’s best love songs and a standout track that includes, appropriately, Adkins’ wife harmonizing behind. “Boy in the Bubble” cries out for a personal faith through its free floating vibe, and the rootsy “By Way of Sorrow” gives Adkins’ lilting vocals opportunity to shine. The affectionate and warmly sentimental “Someday” is a song to his son addressing the future bearing down on them both, and the strings shine once again on the reflective, nuanced “On The Train,” an ode to the generations.

“Put Back Together,” a lovely song of regrets, is equally evocative, followed perfectly by the uplifting, textured “Jesus Won’t Give Up On Me,” gorgeously arranged and another standout. Adkins goes out in a big way, amping everything up for the lush closer, “Further Up and Further In.” The rich acoustic percussion plays beautifully against the electric guitars, leaving you deeply satisfied by Chase the Western Sky, one of the year’s best and freshest indie projects.