Adrian+belew

Unless you’re in deep the music way, the name Adrian Belew might not ring a bell. Truth of the matter is that Adrian Belew was the secret weapon to the biggest names in music for the better part of nearly 5 decades; Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and Trent Reznor are just a handful of artists Mr. Belew lent his skills to on some of the biggest albums of the last 50 years. And that’s not even the most amazing thing about this man. He was the singer/guitarist for the 80s return of King Crimson as well as having a prolific solo career, spending time equally in the experimental and power pop side of things. At 70-years old Adrian Belew shows no signs of stopping. His new album Elevator is a beautiful and clanging ode to his work as both a mad scientist behind the six string, as well as his ability to write gorgeous pop songs in the vein of Lennon/McCartney.

Adrian Belew’s long and winding career as an innovative guitar visionary enters yet another new phase with the pending release of Pop-Sided, the Covington native’s first solo album in 10 years. But don’t think the ever-restless singer-songwriter and prolific session guitarist has been sitting on his hands over that time: he created FLUX, a fascinating iOS app that plays random snatches of his sonic creations; he toured multiple times with the Adrian Belew Power Trio, which featured songs from across his versatile four-decade career; and he continued to contribute singular guitar parts for artists like Nine Inch Nails.

Packaged in a sleeve that (not accidentally) reminds one of the Beatles' White Album, this first released collection of Belew's acoustic renderings is all around a pleasant listen…

"Belewprints" is billed as "The Acoustic Adrian Belew, Volume Two", but its a bit different than the first one. The first record featured pieces with Belew playing acoustic guitar and vocals only, this record features more arranged pieces, with the constraint that all the instruments had to be acoustic (with one exception)…

Young Lions is as solid an album as Adrian Belew had put out in some time, including his work with the Bears. Apparently, the relative chart success he had with his last effort fueled the desire for another single, and no less a luminary than former employer David Bowie was brought in to write and duet with Belew on "Pretty Pink Rose" (they even did a video to support it)…

Not that he wasn't busy for the entire time, but the nearly eight years that separated Adrian Belew's solo studio recordings seem to have really recharged his batteries…

Adrian Belew's flurry of solo material continues with Side Three, the third and final installment in the series. On both Side One and Side Two, Belew seemed completely liberated from any concept of pop aspirations and was free to indulge in his more experimental side. Side Three is no different…

On Mr. Music Head, guitar virtuoso Adrian Belew serves up a pure pop-sounding album, and does a satisfying job to boot. He puts his guitar to good use, at times sounding experimental, but only doing so to add color to his three-minute tunes. On "Oh Daddy," his daughter Audie shares the singing on this light, cheery little number…