Barry Adamson
launched his solo career making soundtrack albums for movies that existed only in his imagination, and decades later he still makes music that exists in a world of his own, a place of cool menace and dark but potent grooves. Like 2016's
Know Where to Run
, 2024's
Cut to Black
is a rather conventional album by
Adamson
's standards -- all ten tracks have vocals, are constructed in something akin to conventional song structures, and lack a connecting narrative. That said,
also finds
trading in what he does best, writing songs that exist in an alternate universe of British film noir, emulating vintage pop and R&B tropes in a way that cranks up the darkly shadowy atmosphere to ten. The opening cut, "The Last Words of Sam Cooke," sounds like some lost Northern soul track wed to a story of fatal misadventure, and like it could be a hit single as long as listeners don't think too much about the sinister edge of the lyrics. Classic soul and R&B sounds of the '60s clearly influenced most of the songs on
, although
's use of boomy drum loops and samples gives this music a sound that emphasizes the haunting undercurrents of the music, and his vocals often suggest the inner monologue of a smooth but hard-boiled character living on the wrong side of the law -- if it doesn't sound quite like a film score, it could pass for a collection of single sides that were compiled to accompany a retro-styled British gangster drama. Despite its edgy qualities, most of these tracks have a convincing dance-worthy pulse, and the cynicism of the lyrics makes room for more than a little mordant wit;
doesn't seem interested in making music that's "nice," but he doesn't mind if you have a good time.
is more approachable than many of
's instrumental and electronic-oriented releases, although it never sounds watered-down or compromised; longtime fans will find much to appreciate, and newbies interested in his work will find this a good entry point into his catalog. ~ Mark Deming