by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Cliffs was rocking Wednesday night when I arrived to check out Adam D. Tucker and schmooze with my friends, owners Lori and Jim Rose. Tucker is a rising unsigned star who has the right stuff to make it in the viciously competitive country music genre. He looks like a star with his hunky good looks and animated stage persona. He’s been out touring nationally and relentlessly pursuing record company contacts.
For Lori and Jim, booking an artist of Tucker’s status was fortuitous since he was passing through town on his way to Tampa to perform at the Florida State Fair. Lori said that she decided to continue her policy of not charging a cover. Tucker’s show was a thank-you to their loyal clientele, who all know each other and consider Cliff’s their neighborhood watering hole. Indeed, Cliff’s is one of my favorite haunts. There is never any trouble and the wait staff and clientele are friendly. Wednesday night it was packed with a mid-week party crowd. Hey, Wednesday is the new Friday. Well, at Cliff’s it is!
Tucker mixed it up for his Cliff’s sets. He played some of his originals, but since his material is not widely known yet, he wisely played crowd-pleasing cover material, including a rousing Skynyrd medley. Tucker also loves to play Johnny Cash, mimicking Cash’s distinct timbre. He read the crowd correctly – his Johnny Cash impression went over well.
Tucker’s own fiercely original material is delivered with his Southern, good ‘ol boy charm. ‘Countrier than That’ is a rocker with references to Southern lifestyles. “Boys in the barn... another Friday night at the shindig in the shack.. bed springs are hillbilly trampolines....it don’t get much countrier than that.” This song is hooky fusion of country and rock.
‘Redneck Girl’ celebrates the free-spirited Southern female. “There ain’t nothing better than my redneck girl.” Again Tucker pays homage to his Southern Rock roots with a Charlie Daniels-styled fiddle break. It’s impossible to be down while listening to this redneck anthem.
The title cut from Tucker’s new album is ‘What Makes a Man.’ “What makes a man like me... when it’s you and me lying together, making us a night to remember, skin on skin surrendering.... makes me understand what makes a man.” Yes, the imagery of this song plays to young singles looking for love beyond a one-night stand.
‘On My Way (to loving you)’ is a typical country love song from Tucker’s past as he had to decide what was important to him at that time in his life, when his career was starting to take off. The song has a memorable fiddle solo break that sinks the hook into this love-gone-good ditty and turns it into a love-gone-bad country song.
As the beer and drinks flowed across the bar at Cliff’s, I was reminded of how great it is to see major artists on their way up in a small club with an intimate setting. Clubs like Cliff’s are steadfast venues where artists get the most respect, whether they play covers or originals. When all the hoopla dies down and an artist’s career starts to wane, they all end up in their hometowns playing in club bands. It is the bread and butter of the music biz.
Article Published in the 2-14-08 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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