Adam Gilbert – A Generation
of Forgotten Kings
2012, Adam Gilbert
2012, Adam Gilbert
New Jersey native Adam Gilbert has been pursuing the life of
a piano man since graduating from the University of Miami in 2004. His 2007 album Fishing For Water won wave reviews and resulted in significant
airplay across the U.S. For his latest
work, Gilbert dug deep for the authentic, honest sound that issues forth from A Generation of Forgotten Kings. The process was a personal one for Gilbert,
as he strove to expose ideas of spirituality, accountability, responsibility,
love and grace.
Gilbert jumps right in with the title track. “A Generation of Forgotten Kings” is catchy,
and built against a grand sonic landscape, ala U2. Gilbert’s voice is certainly an acquired taste,
although if you’re into early Bowie you’ll dig his sound. The song focuses on stewardship, and asks
what will happen to the children of today.
“How Do We Respond” plays in the same sonic playground, but the effect
is a bit more bland here. The chorus
lingers on too long, and while the sound is nice, there’s no emotional oomph to
back the message. “On A Hill” plays in
the same vein.
“Steady As We Go” is a solid piano ballad. Gilbert breaks out of the U2 mold and writes
an inspired song about holding on and staying the course. Gilbert’s piano style on this tune may remind
you of early Billy Joel. “A Little
Emotion” is best described as an amalgam of Billy Joel and David Bowie. Although the songwriting here is diffuse, the
overall sound works well, and Gilbert’s gruff voice will definitely grow on
you. “We’re Accountable” uses an almost
hyper baroque piano style to back up a lyric ballad about personal
responsibility for the world around us.
Gilbert’s against the grain voice is a nice fit here, and the sonic
build throughout the song is appealing.
Lyrically, the song is a bit ham-handed in handling its subject, but it
gets the desired message across.
“This Old World” is a love ballad with spiritual/religious
undertones. It’s a fair effort, but is
the beginning of a long slow decline for A
Generation of Forgotten Kings. In general,
the final six songs on the album aren’t really ready for prime time. Gilbert works his way through “Better”, “Do
You Want Me Now” and “I’ll Hold You In My Arms” like he’s going through the
proverbial motions. He shows a mild
recovery for “Stay Awhile”, but slips back into the doldrums with the closing
track, “Listen”.
Adam Gilbert starts with great intentions on A Generation of Forgotten Kings. It’s the intentions that get him. Gilbert spends the entire album writing to
the message he wants to convey, rather than writing music and allowing his
message to be born of it. The result is
similar to what often happens with CCM music… the message overcomes the
musicality of the songs, and end product often sounds awkward. Gilbert shows some real potential on the
first half of the album, and a six or seven song EP made up from the first half
of the album would find much greater success.
Gilbert is one to watch however, as he can write quite well. He just gets stuck trying to write heart
messages with his head on A Generation of
Forgotten Kings.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
(Out of 5)