Adam Holmes – Dreamweaver
Independent – 21 May 2021
Eleven tracks dipped in some blissful meditations on life, love and loss, make up acclaimed singer songwriter Adam Holmes’ latest offering. Dreamweaver is a delightful and fiercely enthusiastic album with a pure and sincere heart.
Holmes possess a raw, honeyed voice, familiar to listeners for his work as a former vocalist with Rura, The Magpie Arc and his own band, The Embers. Dreamweaver is Holmes’ fourth solo record and one which marks a period of maturity in both his songwriting and life, inspired by his experience as a new parent.
Dreamweaver is something rather special. Co-written with Ivor Novello nominated songwriter Boo Hewerdine, who has also worked with Chris Difford, Findlay Napier, Eddie Reader, K.D. Lang and Kris Drever, it’s a warm, personal relationship fostered between Holmes and Hewerdine. As Holmes explains, “he’s the only songwriter I’ve ever really wanted to write with… I was surprised about how natural it was. We have a really good relationship socially, so it felt like an extension of that.” Hewerdine’s accomplished, effortlessly talented hands are felt throughout, but it is a light, gossamer touch, allowing Holmes’ own lyrical flair to shine.
There is a nice, subtle mix of sounds and textures on the album, from country and folk to rhythm and blues. Featuring Holmes on guitar, with producer Mattie Foulds on drums and accompanying vocals, Kevin McGuire on bass, Neil MacColl on electric guitar, Phil Alexander on keys and Su-a Lee on cello and vocals, it’s an impressive guest list.
Single, ‘If You Ever Needed Me’ is a particular highlight. It’s a “collection of images,” explains Holmes, “one of the first songs that appeared for the record and was written in the midst of domestic parental duties. It’s about the feeling of being a father in the early days – the sense of observing from the side-lines and trying to be useful. The sleepy and magical haze is of obligation and the tearing of our souls from our old child-free lives. It’s a song about the beauty and the pain of sacrifice.” It’s a heartfelt, reflective love song with some smooth percussion and a nice sublime country vibe.
The album opens simply, with the pure, guitar accompanied vocals of Holmes’ on ‘Hanging on the Line.’ A deceptively plain country song with stoutly effective folk touches, it quickly turns into a resolutely powerful ballad. A song about the strength and resilience of love, which swiftly builds to a rousing and enthusiastic climax.
‘Nature’ starts more playfully, with light guitar accompanying Holmes’ mellifluous vocals. It’s a song about summer and early love, but with a bittersweet meditation on ageing and the inevitable and the smells of linseed and oak. ‘Higher Love,’ on the other hand, perhaps as its title recalls the Steve Winwood song flirts with a delicately funky ambience. “I’ve been a poet and a minor thief. Travelled this world over and found no relief,” Holmes sings, before declaiming, “It keeps me searching for a higher love.”
‘I saw the devil in the morning’ is probably the most political track on the album, with some fine poetic touches. Holmes takes us on a journey through the streets of Edinburgh, down Salamander Street, where you’ll find the “ghosts of Leith.” It’s a song that touches on the struggle of poverty; the “hundred, hungry mouths to feed” and “the weary worker, wounds and all.” There is still hope there, though. It’s a world where “every struggle holds a seed.”
The title track comes complete with atmospheric backing vocals from Lee. One of the more orchestral tracks on the album, the track is filled with vocative keys and sweeping vocals culminating in some luscious sounds. It has a dreamy, almost hypnotic ambience, appropriate for the song’s title.
Things return to earth with ‘I Need Your Love Tonight,’ a bluesy ballad on the longing of a lost love. “This empty house is not a home”, sings Holmes, tugging on the heartstrings. “Let’s lay down like we used to do,” he pleads. It’s an easy, timeless, boozy little track with a rich, country sound.
‘I won’t get to sleep tonight’ is a more intimate song, almost an inverted lullaby. Holmes’ voice lingers close to the ear. “The orphan’s eyes are closing, but I won’t get to sleep tonight,” sings Holmes on a song that follows a journey more like a western trail, complete with steel guitar and tales of sweet Maria. It’s a fun, atmospheric, little track, a story to entertain his children as they drift off to sleep.
The final track on the album, ‘Pass it on’, provides a stunning conclusion. A love song to Holmes’ partner and their child, but also a reflection on the world left behind with the arrival of children into the family. Holmes sings of sitting bluebells and the seaside, drinking and reading Bukowski and dressed in black velvet jackets. “Your mother she wandered. Your mother she roamed,” sings Holmes. “Your mother, she gave it all up on the day we brought you home.” It’s a beautifully hopeful song, one about growing up and new lives taking over. “We pass it on,” Holmes repeats over a tentative, soft, country guitar.
‘Pass it on’ is a moving, personal and honest story on the shifting of individual’s identities as their children are welcomed into the world. It’s a song filled with love and faith and a palpably atmospheric conclusion to what is a poignant selection of songs.
Holmes has long been one of the country’s most talented and impressive vocalists, with Dreamweaver he takes that step further to being one of the finest songwriters in the UK today. Dreamweaver is a genuinely touching listen. It is a formidably affecting and potent release. With an unobtrusive, self-assured modesty, Dreamweaver may slip quietly under your radar, don’t miss it. Holmes’ mournful, deeply mellow voice is worth the admission price alone, but combined with such tender, vivid and handsome songs ensures Dreamweaver is a truly heart-warming listen.
Dreamweaver is out now. Order via: https://www.adamholmesmusic.co.uk/shop/p/dreamweaver
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Photo Credit: Rory Barnes