Upon receiving Steve Adams’ Camera Obscura, I thought to myself “here’s another guitar god album”. After several listens I changed my mind of the content and style of this mostly instrumental guitar collection that borders on progressive rock at times.
I wasn’t aware that Steve Adams was a local LA musician because he sounded like he was British. His style of playing invokes some other Steves such as Vai and Hackett as well as Holdsworth and Latimer. Speaking of which, Steve Adams was associated with the late Pete Bardens. Steve was Pete’s guitarist in the short live Mirage band, which featured some members from Camel and Caravan.
What sets Steve apart from the “guitar shredders” is he knows when and where to apply his craft. It’s a welcomed thing too because I’ve grown weary of the “hey look at me, I can play faster than light” guitarists that dare I say, plague the music world.
Highlights for me are Quicksand, Seven Four (which is dedicated to Pete Bardens), Jacuzzi (a Steve Hackett cover) and the last track Wisteria.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on January 24th, 2005
