Adam Sultan is a singer-songwriter the same way a shot of whiskey is a drink. While most are happy enough to strum an acoustic guitar and sing about their feelings, Adam turns up the guitars, funks out an organ, and gets grimy. When the guitars do go acoustic, the music never loses its edge; you feel like you are in some smoke-filled club in the backwoods of Tennessee instead of a coffee house. It's hard to believe this guy used to be in neo-folkies Poi Dog Pondering, since not a remote hint of his previous band is felt on this solo effort.

Brad Filicky