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Wondrous Stories Magazine:
www.classicrocksociety.com

This self-produced CD by American musician Gary Adamson is a pleasing melodic/progressive rock work, very much influenced by the likes of Yes and Asia. The Yes comparisons immediately spring to mind due to the vocals of Adamson as he is a dead ringer for the illustrious Jon Anderson. Adamson plays all instruments on this recording with the exception of guitars and these are provided by a variety of guests. He proves very adept on the keyboards and the multi-layered effects build a nice platform for some quite exquisite guitar breaks. Long, lengthy solo's are excluded though and there is no 'look how clever I am' as the emphasis here is on melody and immediate accessibility.

The fourteen songs all clock in around the 4 minute mark so there are no traditional prog rock epics, just high quality songs in the traditional way with a defined beginning, middle and end. High on quality musicianship and hook laden refrains means that this tends to be radio friendly rock music that will make no enemies. 'Shine on' and 'Out there' typically define what this CD is all about as they are timeless melodic rock pieces that demand your attention. A rewarding release.

A Letter from Andre Steyns of The Paperlate Radio Show:
www.paperlate.net

Dear Gary,

Being "a radioman" gives me the opportunity to listen to a lot of new  (progressive) cd's. Listening to so many cd's for many years has resulted that I'm not often impressed by new artists. I have my favorites from the past (King Crimson, Jethro Tull, ELP, Supertramp, John Wetton, etc). New artists from the last few years that really impressed can be counted on one hand: After Crying, Cast, Spock's Beard, Roine Solt/Flower Kings and...yes my friend: Gary Adamson.

I'm really impressed. Your music reminds me of good old Supertramp, take that as a compliment. Check out the play-list on our website later this day and see that you're getting your European airplay debut!

Keep in touch!

Andre

John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, "Progressive World" Rock Web Site:
www.progressiveworld.net/bobo.html

   The opening chords of this wonderful album are rightfully called  First Light,  sounding very symphonic and classical, like the first rays of sunshine opening a new day, making way for the playful "Shine On". The moment the rhythm sets in, it becomes very commercial and much less progressive, barring Gary Adamson's voice, which sounds exactly like the high pitched voice we all love so well: that of Jon Anderson! The way the songs are composed prove that Adamson knows his trade. In fact, it s the least one can expect from someone who wrote and produced the theme music for the Emmy nominated Disney television series "Secrets Of The Animal Kingdom"

   By incorporating influences of Yes, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Gary pays a lot of attention to the vocal harmonies in order to create well-crafted pop songs which, although not containing loads of complex arrangements, will certainly please the prog lover who's always on the lookout for interesting material.  "A Place" is pure barbershop harmonies, whilst "Turns To Silence" in a way holds the magic I found in the music of bands such as Ambrosia and Charlie in the seventies.  Over And Over kicks off with a short Steve Howe soundalike guitar solo before all attention is once again steered in the direction of Gary's singing, but eventually evolving in pure FM rock. Because of the synthesized horns "Don't Walk Away" has a certain funky feel all over.

   Adamson might not really hit the highest notes struck so often by Jon Anderson or Terry Luttrell (Starcastle) but the way his voice blends with the music, as in "Out There", is really something to look out for and to fully appreciate. One of the highlights here has to be the guitar input both electric and acoustic. As is the case with Jon Anderson, Gary is also inspired by South-American rhythms in "Closer". Then two different parts melt together into one ingeniously called "Masters Of Time"  and the uptempo "Matter Of Time" with a great vocal line by Gary flowing nicely with the music. In edited form this could well be a radio favourite. The album closes with the longest track on the CD "Aurora", a great ballad with, once again, some divine harmonies that could well be from the book of tricks of Richard Carpenter for all I know. Tucked away in the arrangement are also some Byrds-like guitar chords courtesy of David Hirschman, one of the four guitarists active on this album.

   If you re looking for loads of complex rhythm changes and trillions of solos then I'm afraid this won t be your album, but if on the other hand you re on the lookout for an inventive Jon Anderson soundalike singer-songwriter who seems to have found the key to blending commercial sounding, well-crafted songs with a dash of prog flavour then you have reached the right address. 

Stephanie Sollow, "Progressive World: The Music Box"
www.progressiveworld.net/adamson2.html

After a gentle synth piece - "First Light" - you don't expect the next track to be a mid-tempo rocker, but that is pretty much the way things go on Gary Adamson's Into Light. Musically, I guess a good comparison would be America - something I thought a day or two after last listening to this album whilst America came on the radio. But, it would be America if Jon Anderson were on vocals. Well, the truth is that Adamson only sounds mostly like Anderson, but in a side by side sing-off, one would detect noticeable differences. It's more than just that they both have rather high singing voices, though, as on "Shine On" and elsewhere the spiritual lyrics are also Anderson-like. I wouldn't use Yes at all as a comparison though except in some vague way, though to say they couldn't have been an influence would be incorrect, as Yes surely had to be of some influence. I'd venture to say it is Anderson alone that is the influence. I suppose one could also support the argument by mentioning that "Out There" includes in the lyrics the phrase "change we must," but it could also be coincidence.

70s MOR is recalled in "Turns To Silence." Perhaps it's the orchestrations that make me think that. I haven't really heard this kind of sound since the 70s and the recent 70s-retro that took place. The half-speed bridge on this track really gives you the sense of a world spinning down, sliding vocals descend like one is letting out a deep breath. "Over And Over" is a paean to the power of music, it's ability to stick in one's mind. But I suspect there is also a more spiritual subtext here as well -- hymnals and such that one often finds sustenance in, though I'm not sure I could state my thoughts without getting overly verbose. A similar sense is felt in "All We Need," as a baby-boomer looks back on the late 60's, to Woodstock and the Summer Of Love and to the idealistic future imagined then but not quite so much a reality now. Reading the title, you might think of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," and that is what the title refers to, but that isn't the only Beatles reference here. Line three of the first stanza, it's "The Long And Winding Road" ("long winding road") the last line of the third stanza it's "Eleanor Rigby" ("all the lonely people..." )...of course, in doing this, you then wonder if every word or word phrase isn't a bit of homage. Is the used of the word "satisfaction" a nod at the Stones? And in doing so we miss the point - it isn't the songs he's referring to but the sentiments in them, the meanings...and the contrasts between then and now. It's a song about someone ruminating on the past that makes you ruminate on the past and think of the present. And of the future.

None of it would work if the arrangements weren't rich and full, warm and inviting -- something I seem to say a lot, but it puts it all succinctly . Overall the album seems upbeat and optimistic, the underlying messages hopeful. It doesn't really give you the warm fuzzies, and if it did, I'd probably be liking it to Barney. No this serious yet comforting. If you aren't a fan of Anderson's way of singing then you might not care for Adamson, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give him a listen. A release like this will probably get lost among the hundred and hundreds released each year, but not because it should, but because the singer-songwriter seems to have gone out of fashion. Certainly they'll still find their audience, those who have been with them from the beginning, those who are just entering the late 30-somethings and on. And on this, I'm hoping I'm wrong, but to most who want to appear to be hip and cool (and still in their youth) James Taylor is bit too creaky. Of course, I'm speaking to an audience that is either eclectic enough to have room for all genres, or has eschewed glossy pop marketing for music that has substance. And that Adamson has.