Description
Homeboys is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Adam Again, released on Broken Records in 1990, a Brainstorm Artists International imprint manufactured and distributed by Word. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Adam Again’s Gene Eugene during September to December 1989, with additional engineering by band members Greg Lawless and Paul Valadez, as well as Ojo Taylor of Undercover and Super C of S.F.C. fame. Music written by Gene Eugene and the band with lyrics by Eugene (except “Save Me” by bandmate Riki Michele, “Hide Away” by Steve Hindalong of The Choir, and “Occam’s Razor” by Terry Taylor of Daniel Amos). Also featuring a cover of the Marvin Gaye and James Nyx classic “Inner City Blues”. Homeboys showcases Adam Again’s love of ’70s sounds in what Gene Eugene did call “a theme record of sorts about living (as we all were) in a pretty rough area of Southern California.” In the words of music critic James Attlee, “…this is not safe middleclass Christian music. It is a slice of life.”
Homeboys, the third album from the best unknown band in Christian alternative music, is lot more than just Ten More Songs By Adam Again. These sultans of funk-based rock have reached back to their old rock influences for a hybrid of potent musicality that recalls the excitement infused in the work of artists such as Talking Heads and Elvis Costello. Like the Heads’ David Byrne and Costello, lyricist/vocalist/producer Gene Eugene delivers nonchalant observations on life’s experiences – from growing up in a street gang to life in a band, and regrets over past choices that in their honest poetry offer wisdom on life’s meaning, purpose and value.
Musically, Homeboys benefits from a more organic mix. While Eugene and Co. still write some of the best dance music on any label, Christian or not, the band’s newest member, drummer Jon Knox, keeps things riveting and alive with emotion. Eugene adds more keyboards, predominantly a Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes piano sound, to this rock ‘n’ roll stew. While Paul Valadez keeps the bottom end melodically funky, it is guitarist Greg Lawless, whose versatility from stinging solos and Hendrix-like freneticism, to chunky in-the-groove chords, gives the album its most exceptional moments. Lawless proves himself one of the best, although perhaps most underrated, guitarists in Christian Rock.
But front and center are Gene Eugene’s observations and voice, and the harmonies of his wife, Riki Michele, whose own Broken Records debut Big, Big Town is just a few months old. Eugene, writing in the vein of Bruce Cockburn on Inner City Front, captures some of the effects of urban blight in «Homeboys», «The Fine Line» (a song dealing with crack addiction), and a solid cover of Marvin Gaye’s «Inner City Blues». «Hide Away» is a sad song of the distance that can come between married lovers, with lyrics written by Steve Hindalong of The Choir.
With «Dance Around in Circles» and «This Band Is Our House», Eugene expresses the place he has found in life and love that eases the pain of existence, but only «Save Me», with lyrics by Michele, and its cry for divine grace, forgiveness and strength, makes a direct affirmation of faith. «Occam’s Razor», with lyrics by Terry S. Taylor, refers to the principle set forth by William of Ockham, that the simplest explanation is the best, “When I touch you with Occam’s razor / I will cut you between truth and lie / And I will get through with Occam’s razor / Cut your soul from the heart of darkness.”
Beginning from the same place that M. Scott Peck did in his book The Road Less Traveled, that “Life is difficult,” Eugene and Adam Again search out that which can be valued and celebrated in all honesty, without ignoring the complete truth about this cold, cruel world of ours. In the grace of God and accepting what one has been given, Eugene concludes in «No Regrets»: “I got a woman now who loves me / I got the pink slip of my car / I got a little place, the rent is cheap / I got a band who plays my songs / Life’s not so hard.”
However, the songs ironically finds Eugene with some unnamed regret, that can evidently be mended by a phone call. Redemption is often just that close. Adam Again may not have all quick solutions for the problems around them, but their willingness to look at all of life, even the hard parts, makes them artists of great value to the Christian music community. I can certainly attest that with a band like this playing these fine funky rock ‘n’ roll songs, my life feels a little easier too. [Brian Q. Newcomb, CCM, April 1990]
An intriguing group this, who’ve produced some of the most interesting music on the alternative front to come out of America over the last few years. They don’t sound like a California band – they have more in common with the New York club/garage/art school scene that sparked groups like Talking Heads than laid-back West Coast rock. As we’ve come to expect this is a densely packed canvas, with scarce a gap between sharply contrasting tracks. There’s the inner-city funk-sprawl of «Homeboys», with its graphic description of Gene Eugene’s childhood in a low income suburb of LA and loss of a good friend to a random drive-by gunshot. As usual there’s lots of guitars from Eugene and six-string collaborator Greg Lawless. There’s no drum computers and hardly any synthesizers on this record. Euguene is going for a rawer sound than on their two previous albums, and ‘Homeboys’ even sees the welcome return of the Fender Rhodes piano to its rightful foreground position. “We got a guitar on the left side, guitar on the right, and the bass in the middle of the mix/ I haven’t heard a Fender Rhodes this funky since 1976!” sings Gene ecstatically on «This Band Is Our House». As well as the struggle and pain of ghetto life, divorce and such, and the upful celebration of «This Band Is Our House», we get the tender moments of a love song like «Hide Away», featuring a cello solo. That’s typical Adam Again – to put the lyricisim of «Hide Away» next to «Bad News On The Radio», the story of someone who’s killed a man and is saying goodbye to his girlfriend as the Law arrive. “Now I watch you sleeping/ Don’t wake up and say goodbye/ There’s no more as the sirens arrive/ Spotlight on the driveway/ Bad news on the radio.” This is not safe middleclass Christian music. It is a slice of life. [James Attlee, Cross Rhythms, September 1990]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/homeboys-remastered/396583285)
CD tracklist:
01. Homeboys – 3:38
02. The Fine Line – 4:30
03. Hide Away – 2:51
04. Bad News on the Radio – 3:54
05. Inner-City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – 5:38
06. Dance Around in Circles – 2:35
07. This Band Is Our House – 6:00
08. Save Me – 4:09
09. Occam’s Razor – 3:31
10. No Regrets – 5:22
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Broken Records. Remastered and re-issued on CD as a Limited Edition pressing by Lo-Fidelity Records in 2016, through a Kickstarted-funded campaign (packaged in a 6 panel jacket containing never-before published photos from the Homeboys era, and a replica fold out insert/lyric page). Also released for the first time on 12-inch vinyl LP by Lo-Fidelity the following year, mastered for vinyl. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl as Black, transparent Blue/Silver, transparent Orange, Orange/Black, and Clear/Orange/Splatter, limited to 100 copies of each version. Available at Bandcamp: https://adamagain.bandcamp.com/album/homeboys-2016-remaster
CREDITS. Produced by Gene Eugene. Recorded September-December 1989 by Gene Eugene. Additional Engineering by Paul Valadez, Greg Lawless, Ojo Taylor, and Super C. Studios: Mixing Lab, Huntington Beach, CA; Neverland, Cerritos, CA; Winetree, Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Pakaderm West, Los Alamitos, CA. Mixed December 8-10, 1989 at Mixing Lab by Eugene (with Valadez and Lawless). Track 3 and 4 mixed December 29, 1989 at Pakaderm East by Eugene (with Jeff Simmons). Additional tape transfers at Icehouse, Upland, CA. Technical Support: Steve Hindalong (Drums), Dave Hackbarth (Rhodes), The Pakaderm gang (B-3 and Leslie). Assembled by Dave Collins at A&M Studios. Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Art Direction, Layout and Photography by Bruce Heavin. Music by Gene Eugene and Adam Again. Lyrics by Gene Eugene except track 3 by Steve Hindalong, track 8 by Riki Michele, and track 9 by Terry Taylor. Track 5 written by Marvin Gaye and James Nyx.
Musicians: Adam Again – Gene Eugene (Vocals, Guitar, Rhodes, B-3), Riki Michele (Vocals), Greg Lawless (Lead Guitar), Paul Valadez (Bass), Jon Knox (Drums). With: James Werning (Keyboards), Dan Michaels (Saxophone). Preaching by Rev. Howard Finster, Man of Visions. Additional Musicians: John Harrelson (Fiddle on track 1, Mandolin on track 3), Miles Tackett (Cello on track 3 and 9, Acoustic Guitar on track 5), Doug Webb (Saxophone on track 4), Darrell Mansfield (Harmonica on track 9).
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.