Ross Adams must know a thing or two about making a song hit home because he surely nails it on his latest song “East Me Into Dying.” Adams brings together colors and musical embellishments that honor a Springsteen meets Son Volt tenacity of grit, poignancy, and blue-collar Americana. Adams evokes images of run-down Southern industrial mills and grimy New York subway stations as he sings of the ghosts of romances gone by, laying the beautifully wistful foundation upon which Escaping Southern Heat is built.
Sonically, Escaping Southern Heat runs the gamut of Americana influence, from distorted Southern rock to melodic folk ballads and barroom country shuffles, brought together by the most prestigious backing band in the genre, The 400 Unit.
Adams first met The 400 Unit over a decade ago while sneaking backstage at Jason Isbell shows to help load gear and talk shop with bassist Jimbo Hart. Ten years later, Hart and Adams teamed up to record Escaping Southern Heat at East Avalon Recorders in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with Hart recruiting the remainder of The 400 Unit to round out the sessions: Chad Gamble on drums, Derry Deborja on keyboards, Hart on bass and Sadler Vaden on guitar alongside Adams. As if the group weren’t powerful enough, Adams tapped former American Aquarium alum Whit Wright to add his signature pedal steel flourishes throughout the album, helping to create a record as musically powerful as it is thematically thoughtful. “We recorded everything in about three days,” says Adams. “I had about twelve songs all written out and we did about three takes of each with the guys and they just banged it out. I don’t think I’ve played with a more talented band in all my life.”
Glide is proud to premiere the essential listen of Adams’ “Ease Me Into Dying,” (below) a big-hearted rocker that twangs in all the sweet spots and opens ears via thunderous lyrical bravado. Adams has discovered his voice and runs the musical gamut backed by the workmanship of the 400 Unit- call it a win-win.
