Talbot Adams has slowly become a solo artist over the last few years. Prior to going solo, Talbot's played in a number of bands: The Royal Pendletons, The Darkest Hours, Preacher's Kids, The Jenny Jeans, Dutch Masters, The Checkmates, and The Black and Whites.Talbot has played on recordings for Goner, Norton, Shattered, DMR and Spacecase Records. Adams has been lucky enough to play with members of The Oblivians, The Gories and The Neckbones.
Talbot Adams was born and raised in New Orleans. He lived in New York City for five years, where he was lucky enough to intern at Matador Records before returning home and finally settling in Oxford, MS, where he currently lives. Talbot still misses New Orleans, but likes North Mississippi as well.
He has a new full-length album of his own coming out in March of 2014 on Spacecase Records. Talbot has been recently performing, at times with just voice and guitar, and at other times with a group of friends that back him up.
Full length LP from the nicest guy in rock'n'roll, Talbot Adams, a former Dutchmaster, Jenny Jean, Preacher's Kid, Royal Pendleton and more as well as leader of the now defunct Black and Whites. I felt that Talbot really did his thing right with his last 7", also on Spacecase (and neither song is on this LP, so you should go grab that first and decide if you want more perhaps...), and he continues in the same Southern-style garage/pop tradition here. I certainly would not call this power pop (perhaps maybe in the Elvis Costello sense, but not in the hyper stripey shirt sense), more like pop'n'roll maybe. Echoes of Nick Lowe, the already mentioned Costello, a little bit of popsike in the New Zealand sense (Chills maybe?) and a very gentlemanly Memphis/Mississippi songwriting appeal. Recorded crisp and clean, sometimes acoustic, Talbot does uptempo hookery and slow broodery about equally here. "Chelsea" adds some blues licks to the pop drawl, "Same Old Things" is Ramones-like AM-radio confection, "Disconnect" ventures into classy UK-inflected rock-pop (Stiff even), "Hill" is one of a handful of tunes that get into popsike territory. A very accomplished record by a very capable songwriter and a record that I think (and hope) could have some very wide appeal in its skillful blend of pop hooks and adult tunesmithery (and I don't mean that in any sort of disparaging "old guy music" sense). Just real classy stuff. Perfect Sunday driving and lounging tunes that have emotional depth, uplifting hooks and meaningful melancholy in them.
--RK, Terminal Boredom
I always wonder at what point you start using your name instead of a band name. Do you recruit people based on the idea that you’re gonna be the guy, or do you gather everyone together and slowly work on them? Either way, Talbot Adams seems to have done it tastefully. He writes excellent pop songs with a spacey consideration in the vein of early Robyn Hitchcock with a hint of big beat garage influence. The bass and drums are solid. It’s simple trio rock with depth invested in variety. It sounds like an album rather than a bunch of songs.
--Billups Allen, Razorcake
For all intents and purposes, this self-titled album is [Talbot Adams'] debut LP. Last year’s download only album was made up mostly of acoustic self-produced home recordings. Now he has a band and it’s electric. Drummer Beau Bourgeois and bassist Matt Patton to complete the power trio. The record is sort of powerpop with a psychedelic streak to it. Adams sings with an intensity the way Elvis Costello did when he was an angry young man but he tempers it with a smooth sophistication that was often present in Nick Lowe’s albums. He also employs some gentle psych touches that bring to mind bands like the Chills and the Moles. This record has all the ingredients to destine it to pop classic status, at least in realm of cult classics, and in my book there is no higher honor.
--The Finest Kiss