All it takes is 3 chords and a dream!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Review: Adam Balbo - 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats


Adam Balbo – 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats
2006, Adam Balbo


San Francisco’s Adam Balbo is a post-folk Dylan style songwriter with a hint of punk attitude and a skewed perspective on the world fueled by a declining culture and THC. There are no filters on his music – he says what he thinks in the way that he thinks it. His music is based in the folk tradition (guitar, harmonica) with the addition of the scion of 1980’s suburban teenage music, the Casio Keyboard. Balbo’s 2006 album, 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats, shows an artist with rough edges that have just begun to be smoothed by the practice of his craft and the subtlety of wisdom.

6 Outta 9 w/ Beats veers wildly between youthful extremism (Talkin’ Bush) to ironic depth (Let’s Feel Terrible Together). The opening track, Samba Blues, perhaps displays the heart of Balbo’s transition between boorish brandisher of a guitar and subtle, humorous incisor of social strata. (“I’m gonna hope against all hope that I’ve got a lot of liquor and plenty of dope to help me cope with this thing called the Samba Blues”). Also be sure to check out Rock Ballad, a tongue-in-cheek attempt at high irony. Other highlights include Noise In My Head; Long, Quick Tango and Let’s Make A Porno.

Adam Balbo is different. He’s unique. On 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats he’s probably not for everyone, but if you get it you’ll love it. 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats is anti-pop in it’s truest form: Completely unvarnished and unpretentious. As you listen along you never quite know where Balbo is going to go, but it’s a fun ride.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Adam Balbo at www.myspace.com/adambalbo. You purchase a copy of 6 Outta 9 w/ Beats at www.cdbaby.com/cd/adambalbo.

No comments: