Adam Schultz - Soulful Distancing

Adam Schultz
Soulful Distancing
Blue Heart Records

"Soulful Distancing" is the debut album under the name of 18-year old songwriter-guitarist Adam Schultz. Schultz's dad asked Clarence Spady if he would give then 14-year old Adam a guitar lesson, and Spady was so impressed he invited Adam to play a couple of songs with him at Spady's regular Terra Blues gig in NYC. Thus began Spady's mentoring of Schultz, who has developed into quite a guitarist and has quite a close musical relationship with Spady.

Spady and Douglas Schultz produced the present album. Spady adds his guitar as well as vocals on the five cover tunes. Adam Schultz wrote six songs for which Spady sang one, Michael Angelo sang four, and Ekat Pereyra sang one. Besides Adam and Spady's guitar, the core members of the studio band are Adam Cohen on bass, Robert O'Connell on keyboards, Sharon O'Connell on drums, Scott Brown on piano, Tom Hamilton on saxophone, and Pat Marcinko on percussion.

As Spady says in his liner note about Adam, "He has developed a unique style: fusing a Latin jazz influence from his music teachers with a blues influence from me, sprinkled with a bit of funk that Adam is naturally drawn to." This statement is displayed in his playing on the revival of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson's "A Real Mother For Ya," as well as his original "Harlem Tonight," a fine original that might melodically suggest "Just the Two Of Us" with a solid Michael Angelo vocal. The old Louis Jordan classic "Early in the Morning," besides showcasing Adam's keen, crisp guitar, also has saxophonist Hamilton in the spotlight.

Spady revisits Adam's "Good Conversation" that Spady recorded on his recent album, "Surrender." Then on an imaginative cover of Little Walter's "Who," Adam's lean, twisting guitar impresses more. Another song of note is the Latin-tinged funk, "Cure For the Blues," about this dancing lady who has the cure for the blues. A terrific vocal by Angelo, a churning bass line by Cohen, and more scintillating blues guitar result in a super track. Then there is a nifty cover of Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind," with a choice Spady vocal, along with an intriguing funk re-working of the old Ricky Allen recording "Cut You Loose."

There is plenty to enjoy in "Soulful Distancing." Adam Schultz is a guitarist who shows much more than promise and writes some darn good songs. Add that the under-recorded Clarence Spady sings on six of the eleven songs and strong backing from a first-rate studio band, and one has quite a solid blues with a strong dash of soul recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist.