ARTHUR ADAMS "STOMP THE FLOOR" Source: Vintage Guitar Magazine Date: 03/2010 Writer: John Heidt

Plenty of people refer to Arthur Adams as a veteran bluesman, but as his new album, Stomp the Floor, clearly shows, he’s much more. His songwriting, guitar playing, and singing mix soul, blues, and even smooth jazz in a stew as vibrant as anything released today, despite the fact he’s old enough to be the grandparent of many of today’s top artists.

Adams starts with the percolating funk of the title cut. Surprising and original chord changes on the bridge, slinky rhythm guitar, and solos that feature double-stops, single-lines, and everything in-between, let you know this album is going to be a music fest. He lets his soul side shine through on “I Know What You Mean.” The lyric about tough times is pushed along by a smooth musical bed. “You Got That Right” lets Adams’ jazz chops show, as the chord changes allow him to solo brilliantly, using everything in his arsenal – chords to double-stops to octaves to dazzling single-line work. “Around the Sun” is the same type of instrumental, and could easily be a hit on the smooth jazz charts, and give some players from that genre a lesson in soulful playing. Anyone familiar with Adams won’t be surprised to find that Southern soul is the thread that binds his music.“Don’t Let the Door Hit You” is soul, while “You Are Invited” is a minor-key soul ballad with a nice biting solo. And “So Sweet” is the kind of old-fashioned southern soul that has always been so well purveyed by players and singers from Adams’ generation.

It would be foolish to think this or any record would make a guy like Arthur Adams a “star” in the hit-record sense of the word. But it clearly marks him as one of the most soulful artists in the business.