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From acid-jazz collective to mellow Ibizan house masterminds, A Man Called Adam have pursued much the same fusion of gentle jazz/house rhythms with classic pop songwriting despite the progression of stylistic identifiers used to describe their sound. Comprised of Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones, the group has not only courted the middle-aged coffee-table crowd with a sophisticated sense of pop songcraft, but also kept a close connection to the dance community, courtesy of their ownership of Other Records, a jazz-house label with releases from Coco Steel & Lovebomb, Rosie Gaines, and Maria Naylor. A Man Called Adam’s ethereal female vocals and inspirations from jazz as well as house make for easy comparisons with Everything But the Girl, though Rodgers and Jones gradually became more pop-slanted during the ’90s, as EBTG leaned closer and closer to the dancefloor.
A Man Called Adam was originally founded as a jazz band, led by Sally Rodgers, Steve Jones, and Paul Daley (later to form Leftfield). Signed to the pioneering Acid Jazz Records enabled the group to find more gigs, and debut with a pair of singles. These early recordings, “A.P.B.” and “Earthly Powers,” reflected more recent influences ? namely the acid-house explosion which had rocked British clubs and charts during the late ’80s. Winnowed down to a threesome of Rodgers/Jones/Daley, A Man Called Adam signed to Big Life in 1990 and just missed the British Top 40 that year with “Barefoot in the Head.” After Daley left the fold, Rodgers and Jones followed with their first LP, The Apple. |
