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Adam McInnis
Wherever You Are
DPR Entertainment/High Wire Music
Grade – A
It is easy to recognize that there is something fresh about McInnis’ label debut. The culmination of his child rearing – including an on-fire evangelistic father and a classically trained folk and opera singer for a mother – has helped to produce a distinct musical flavor. In McInnis’ own words, “alternative rock meets singer-songwriter soul.” There is defiantly a classic sound, and his bio materials make reference to a cross between Peter Gabriel and Ray Charles. When I first heard “Give A Little,” I actually thought of Steve Winwood, which would be from the same period.
There is clearly a message of hope infused in his writing and that too comes from his life-course. At the young age of 15, McInnis’ father passed away leaving him with new responsibilities that he was not ready for. For a brief time in his life, McInnis doubted what he knew about religion. In a turn of events around the age of 20, he recommitted his life to Christ and he gives us a little insight into his own salvation story in the song “Since I Spoke Your Name.”
McInnis takes an unusual approach to Christian music, he moved to Austin, TX where he found inspiration in the “live music capital of the world,” instead of moving to Nashville, the epicenter of CCM. None the less, McInnis has found a niche where he can play anything from coffee shops to clubs.
The fusion of soul and classic rock combined with McInnis’ ability to sing with such fervor and feeling, make “Wherever You Are” a very accessible album. It should play well on the radio giving McInnis a boost of attention. Overall, I believe “Wherever You Are” is an outstanding debut that should appeal to a broad category of listeners.
Ken W.