Adam Ezra Group’s new CD release Ragtop Angel features more of Ezra’s sunshiny, neo-hippie cool, with more texture than other bands who were inspired by the acoustic guitar-percussion-roots rock of the past decade. Many of Ezra’s tunes are mellow paced rhythmic patterns with a lot of organ and guitar texture around the grooves. This approach works well for Adam Ezra Group as Ezra’s compositions come alive on the strength of electric guitar, bass, drums, organ, and percussion.
Ezra sings and plays guitar and harmonica. Josh Gold plays organ and piano. Robin Vincent Soper plays bass. A musician who calls himself Turtle plays percussion. Adam Ezra Group record and tour with a drum set drummer and a second guitarist, though they are not ever listed in the band’s lineup.
Opening track “14 Days” is highlighted by Gold’s greasy organ chords from Josh and Ezra’s funky acoustic guitar riffs. Full of swagger on this one, Ezra rocks right out. Bass and drums bump it up with a throbbing interval of slamming backbeat. Turtle plays his instruments like a mofu, getting his bumpy patterns and grindy grooves going on like a beast that wants to break free from a trap.
“Miss Hallelujah” is a grooving, breezy, swaying paced number with dollops of organ swirls swimming over the coolest low end. Ezra sings slightly gospel inflected in his crooning sustains and this infuses the tune with spiritual ebullience. As a singer, Ezra is without pretension. He just sings it the way song needs to be sung. If he happens to sound impressive as he caresses a lyric during a down moment or holds a note with grace at an up tempo moment, so be it. The organic approach this band takes to arranging their songs has been the secret of their success for some time now. A good song does not need adornment. It only needs to performed with heart and soul.
The group take a hoofing two step approach to “Devil’s Side.” This one gallops along steadily while Ezra croons with an easeful grip on his lyrics. His smooth delivery just glides above the surface of this racing horse tempo, so rangy that you almost don’t notice that he’s opened up another dimension in his vocal approach. “Devil’s Side” could also be a country crossover hit for Adam Ezra Group. It sounds a lot like the driving, edgy modern stuff in its colors and tones.
“Taken Off” finds Ezra whipping up an acoustic guitar interval of brittle sweet notes that become large enough to become the song. It is also cool how Turtle creates the essential rhythm of this tune and leaves enough open spaces for the organ to poke its head up and move around between the meters. Likewise, “OK By You,” while a completely different song from “Taken Off,” benefits from that organic composition process. Turtle controls the pace with his hip patterns on a percussion instrument that makes a hefty beat inside a circular groove. Placed over that is Ezra’s delicate acoustic guitar notes tap dancing around merrily. Guest musician Zak Rae provides a soothing string accompaniment in the forlorn back drop, adding to this songs’ feel.
Low end runs on “Colder Days” build the song’s arc with a pushy throb, a bumpy ride that makes you nod or tap or foot. It’s also strong enough to support the catchy layer of vocals, mesmerizing organ, and hefty drums in a fetching chorus. “Serenade” still finds Ezra’s voice as the focal point yet the musical trappings are more lush, texture stitched together by Josh’s heavy duty keyboard play.
“Soldier” just jumps right out of the gate with a dangerousm hard-hitting groove. There is also a menacing undercurrent in Ezra’s perfectly understated vocal approach and in the dark melody. The electric guitar has grinding energy and suggests this could be a hit on modern rock radio. It pulls you right into its straight forward attack.
The studio songs conclude at track nine, “In The End,” with Ezra’s soulful acoustic guitar picking style and Josh’s meaningful ballad piano tinkling. There is much inner strength on the self-restrained melody instruments. Also, Ezra’s voice reaches a lower end here and it is so full of seriousness that you cannot resist hanging on every word he sings to find out where he’s going with this one.
Ragtop Angel has a bonus live track “Burn Brightly” recorded at The AEG Ramble at Showcase Live in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The tune unfurls with lively energy yet it’s most notable for Ezra’s ability to communicate with the audience in his talk about how the fans were brought in on a school bus the day before the Boston Marathon. He and the guys were certainly, as always, well received by their greater-Boston area fan base .
Ragtop Angel doesn’t find Adam Ezra Group changing directions but it does indicate a lot of expansion on their original roots rock premise. The growth is tremendous and Ragtop Angel will likely expand the small, but enthusiastic cult like following into more mainstream acceptance.