You just never know what will come through the letterbox at Bluesbunny Towers. Sometimes it is chilli con carne (that did actually happen, by the way) and sometimes it is something equally hot but musical. Adam Ross sent in his album, "Randolph's Leap", and it got very warm - fast.
Now, I'd never heard of Adam Ross so a bit of research seemed in order. He's from the North of Scotland and his MySpace page declares that "claims still circulate that Adam has been spotted roaming the Highlands of Scotland or aimlessly riding the Glasgow subway system". That'll be the inverse of pretension then. To the songs, you say. What does this young man sing about? He sings about the fragile and inconsistent nature of life, of its trivialities ands its pain but he always leaves a message of hope. There's the "… a digital list of hundreds of friends that you've never met" in "Chapter 3 - United States of Scotland" and the Waits-ian charms of "Thoughts That Have Been" as evidence here and he even gives us an anthem in the fragile and poignant "Reel Me In".
The production quality varies dramatically throughout this album and Adam Ross's voice is not exactly the best or most dramatic that you'll ever hear. His voice is, however, distinctive but you know the best thing about this album? It's those lyrics. There's eloquence and intelligence in there but the emotions behind the songs are portrayed by the simplest (and perhaps most honest) of words. That honesty and consequent lack of pretension is very refreshing. I have to say that I enjoyed this album far more than I thought that I would and I think that Adam Ross is a young musician with a future. A quiet hero indeed.