Adult Contemporary, Part One

What makes a song “adult contemporary?” Is it the cinematic and over-emotional quality, the earnestness? Must there be smooth keyboard sounds? My first instinct is to say that it means a song is so polished all the beauty has been rubbed away, and all that is left is a smooth reflective surface, like a face under plastic surgery. An adult contemporary song might be sung by Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, or Barry Manilow. Adult contemporary can even cross over into poorly named “world” genre, as exemplified in the collaborative effort by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale, Breathing Under Water. Something happens to Shankar’s sitar on this album that can only be called a travesty. Having just finished listening to her solo album Anourag as part of the alphabet experiment (see previous posts), I knew that Shankar could shred on the sitar. Equally adept at blistering speed and meditative restraint, there is no question she is her father’s daughter. So how does one explain the song “Sea Dreamer” on which Sting croons over easy listening synths, Shankar’s sitar adding “world music” color? There are some songs, some albums, that while their contemporary sounds may induce vomit, something shines through, maybe a voice, or one might hope, a sitar. On “Sea Dreamer” there is no baby to save in the putrid sea bath of this song.

            Norah Jones is someone who, for me, blurs the boundary between adult contemporary and good music. I know many would say that she belongs firmly to the former camp, and that the above claim is nothing more than my justification for liking an adult contemporary artist. But Jones comes from jazz. Her debut album Come Away With Me was released by the well-known jazz label Blue Note. Her backing lineup is filled with jazz players like Adam Rogers, Bill Frisell and Brian Blade. Her work to date may be easy on the ears, but that doesn’t automatically make it easy listening or adult contemporary in my mind. That said, her one track on Breathing Under Water is not strong enough to keep me from wanting to throw this album in the trash.

            This is going to take me a while to really think through, so I plan on coming back to this one. We’ll call this part one. I’m looking forward to any thoughts on this one. What do you think when you hear the words “adult contemporary?” Does it induce vomiting? Is it all you listen too?