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Justin Adams - Musician / Composer / Producer
Roots Music / Rock / Afro-beat

Tell No Lies - out May 09




United Kingdom

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Last Login:  7/6/2009
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   Justin Adams - Musician / Composer / Producer: General Info
Member Since2/6/2007
Band Websitewww.irl.org.uk/justinadams.htm
Influences


Video shot by Tom Swindell www.youtube.com/tomswindell
Sounds Like

CONGRATULATIONS JUSTIN AND JULDEH - WINNERS OF BBC RADIO 3 WORLD MUSIC AWARD "CULTURE CROSSING" CATEGORY.

winning award

You can view highlights from the Awards ceremony held in London last week on The BBC WEBSITE

Justin and Juldeh are featured in the Nominees videos and again on the Awards Highlights video accepting their award.

Justin Adams and Moroccan superstar Najat Aatabou at their collaborative concert as part of the Rio Loco Festival in Toulouse in June

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Catch Justin and Juldeh on the Africa Channel on April 27th, filmed live at Momo's. The Africa Channel broadcasts on Sky channel 281 at 9PM.

Charlie Gillett chose "Soul Science" as his album of the month in December 2007. Read his thoughts on the album HERE

Listen to Justin and Juldeh in session on Charles Hazlewood's BBC Radio 2 show first broadcast on December 12, 2007. Click HERE to listen.

FROM THE INDEPENDENT - JAN. 4, 2008

Soul Science: True blues of a griot's song

A West African praise singer and an English guitarist have combined forces to make a deeply joyful album

By Tim Cumming

Published: 04 January 2008

The ritti has a big, big sound for a little instrument. The west African ancestor of the violin, its equivalents can be found in the Arabian rababa, the Touareg imzad, even as far away as central Asia. Possessed of a fluid and emotive voice of such range and shape-shifting flexibility, it's hard to believe that it's all summoned up on one string.

It is a ceremonial instrument, and a hypnotic tool used for trance as much as to mark births, marriages, deaths, harvests. One of its most adept players is a griot (a singer and storyteller) from Bakau, in Gambia. Juldeh Camara now lives in Birmingham, but was first recorded by Bill Laswell back in 1990 for his Ancient Heart compilation. From the age of five to 15, he was apprentice to his blind father, Serif, a griot from the nomadic Fulani tribe.

Though father and son have never recorded together, when Camara came of age they toured west African villages in a horse and buggy. "When I go back, his ritti is still there and he is still my father and he will play me songs I don't know. We play a lot together." He smiles. "A very good combination."

I meet Camara in London, where he and British guitarist Justin Adams – best known for his work with Robert Plant and as the producer of Tinariwen's albums – have been recording a radio session for the BBC.

Their album, Soul Science – which has just been nominated for the 2008 Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Culture Crossing category – features what must be some of the most exciting guitar of Adams's career. Combined with Camara's rich instrumental vocalising on the ritti, and the north African percussion of one-time Jah Wobble accomplice, Dawson Miller, it's a thrilling marriage of Western and African sensibilities. And rather than spraying on the studio sheen that once bedevilled many African releases, it has a real down-home feel to it.

The two players met via Adams's solo album, Desert Road – "the fruit of years of listening to Algerian, Moroccan, and Malian music". Adams is a superb rock guitarist, but one for whom the sensibilities of north and west African music have become increasingly dominant. "I'd begun to learn about west African rhythms, and wondered, where is that in the blues? When a rock player touches the blues he irons out the Africanness – the way Status Quo play 'Rockin' All Over the World', they turn it into something like morris dancing. The source is all about syncopation and call and response, and the further you get from its source, the less it's there."

With Desert Road, Adams began tapping those sources, and it was via fellow English musician Duncan Noble, who gave Camara a tape of the album, that the two came to work together. "When I first heard it, I said, 'who is this African? Where is he from?'," remembers Camara. "He plays in the same Malian pentatonic key that I play in, and in the Arabic style, and it was very good."

Camara is a remarkably diverse musician, a master of the Malian kora, whose repertoire no other Gambian player would know; he performs with English ceilidh band Boka Halat, and his music has been used in the National Theatre's production of Elmina's Kitchen and more recently at the Globe with We the People, the story of how the African music travelled to America with the slave trade.

That historical passage, like the single string of the ritti, is one that vibrates at the heart of Soul Science's deep, joyful griot blues. "People don't talk about the blues in Africa," explains Camara. "But what I play has become the blues. I am a griot, I was born with it, and I have many songs that sound like reggae, and I find blues there, and rock." I can just play with it as we did with Robert last week."

He's referring to an impromptu gig with Robert Plant at Birmingham Town Hall. "We'd done a 20-minute rehearsal," remembers Adams, "and it was so enjoyable and natural." The same spirit infected the making of the album. "Five tracks were recorded in one day, live," he says

Soul Science fuses the Western blues forms we know so well with their African sources, Camara's griot songs are infused with a sense of identity that sets the source music a world away from its international offspring.

'Soul Science' is out now on Wayward Records

Record LabelWayward Records
Type of LabelIndie


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   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Jul 28 2009 8:00P
Justin teaching at Womad Summer School
Jul 29 2009 8:00P
Justin teaching at Womad Summer School
Jul 30 2009 8:00P
Justin teaching at Womad Summer School
Jul 31 2009 8:00P
Justin teaching at Womad Summer School Bath
Aug 1 2009 8:00P
Harbourside Festival Bristol
Sep 6 2009 8:00P
World Music Festival Oron
Sep 10 2009 8:00P
Charity @ O2 London
Sep 11 2009 8:00P
Charity @ O2 London
Sep 12 2009 8:00P
Rye Fest Sussex
Sep 13 2009 8:00P
Rafiki London
Sep 19 2009 8:00P
ZicZac Festival Aix en Provence
Sep 20 2009 8:00P
Womad at the Tower London
Sep 24 2009 8:00P
Guinness event TBC
Oct 14 2009 8:00P
Savoy Theatre Helsinki
Oct 20 2009 8:00P
Akbank Jazz Festival Istanbul
Oct 23 2009 8:00P
Arts Centre Pontardwe
Oct 24 2009 8:00P
Byd Mawr Caenarvon
Oct 25 2009 8:00P
Bridlington Musicport Bridlington
Oct 30 2009 8:00P
King’s Place London
Jan 30 2010 8:00P
Turner Sims Southampton

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Tell No Lies - the new album by Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara out May 2009. Click here to pre-order now

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“Tell No Lies - The deepest trance-blues this side of Timbuktu. Tougher, louder, edgier and more elemental than ever”
Uncut (4 Stars)

"There’s more light and shade that on Soul Science, with a tangential side-step into Cuban music (‘Banjul Girls’) along with the more familiar trudges through Muddy Waters (so to speak). Highly impressive stuff."
Songlines (Top of the World Album)

“This follow up is even better; it’s even more confident and refreshingly varied, with songs that echo the raw exuberance of The Clash, the rolling blues of Muddy Waters and the delicacy and grandeur of the ancient griot ballads.”
The Guardian (5 Stars)

“Justin Adams is probably the most influential catalyst of African-Western musical crossovers of the last couple of decades”
The Independent (4 Stars)

“It’s an exotic, brilliantly realised example of a happy fusion of cultures.”
The Sun (4 Stars)

“This is an extraordinary album…the track Sahara negates any need for a Stone Roses revival.”
Mojo (4 Stars)

“BBC Wold Music Award winner Camara…offsets his trancey riffs against Adams’s band’s rockabilly echo to stunning effect”
Daily Express (4 Stars)

“[Tell No Lies] increases the intensity with no hint that there might be a limit to the seam they are mining.”
The Sunday Times

"Adams' prowling, earthy guitar riffs are the perfect foil to Camara's airborne single-stringed riti (violin) soloing"
The Independent on Sunday

"Despite the quartet's small resources, they produce a wall of sound, their number ending with ferociously heads-down, no-nonsense boogie"
The Guardian live

"This exhilarating collaboration fuses the blues of Africa and America with blistering rock guitar; it’s otherworldly, soulful and rooted in the mystery and reality of life."
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara
Tell No Lies
Real World Records
"Top Of The World" album

A twist of lime in those desert blues this time
Even though London-born Justin Adams and Gambia’s Juldeh Camara are now no spring chickens, there was something boisterously affirmative about their first collaborative effort, Soul Science. It was as explosive a statement of intent as the first Clash album. This was a territory where explosive blues and rock riffs could collide ecstatically with time African griot rhythms and melodies. No one before had made the meeting of these two worlds seem so inevitable, natural and just such damned good fun. So where does that leave us with the traditionally ‘difficult’ second album?
Well, they were hardly going to blow it after such an auspicious start now, were they? The stars of the show are still Adams’ growling, earthy guitar and Camara’s soaring ritti (single-stringed fiddle). On the album’s opener ‘Keli Keli’, Adams once again makes use of his favourite Bo Diddley rhythm (which, of course, has its routes in Africa anyway) and shares lead vocal duties with Camara. This feels like the most fully formed song the two have written together and there are some sweet call-and-response female vocals which just add to its charm. From there on, there’s more light and shade that on Soul Science, with a tangential side-step into Cuban music (‘Banjul Girls’) along with the more familiar trudges through Muddy Waters (so to speak). Highly impressive stuff.

Howard Male - Songlines

JA review - The Guardian

JA review - The Independent

JA review - The Sun

JA review - Mojo

JA review - Daily Express

JA review - The Sunday Times

JA review - Independent on Sunday

JA review - Guardian live

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara album 'Soul Science' is in all good record shops now, including online at IRL shop now. .

Itunes account holders can purchase the album digitially from Itunes

Soul Science won the Culture Crossing category at the BBC World Music Awards 2008.

Soul Science is the result of a meeting of two worlds , an Afro-Blues shakedown. After a few years of collaborations with Robert Plant and Tinariwen, Juldeh's sound seemed like a perfect match for Justin's guitar and production. An African Master Musician who played in the fields for farmers as a child, Juldeh has the drive and effortless flow of a great Bluesman. And while his instrument brings to mind Delta players like Big Joe Williams, as well as Ali Farka, there is a lilt in his playing that hints at the ancient links between North Africa and the Celtic World. Soul Science is far from a purist piece , it has gritty rock and groove throughout. It uses the ancient Soul Sciences of scale and Rhythm to create a 21st Century Afro Blues.

Justin Adams co-wrote The Robert Plant album "Mighty Rearranger" released in 2005 to rave reviews. He has played guitar with Robert's band the Strange Sensation around the world, gaining an awesome live reputation. 2007 sees the release of Tinariwen's third album "Aman Iman" which is already established as an album of the year, produced by Adams.

His distinctive style came to prominence in 1990 with Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart. Since then he has worked with Sinead O'Connor, Tinariwen, Natacha Atlas, Damien Dempsey,and LO'JO, as well as releasing his own "Desert Road" album. He has composed two feature film soundtracks, and was instrumental in setting up the legendary Festival of the Desert. He produced Tinariwen's debut "the Radio Tisdas Sessions", and first collaborated with Robert Plant on 2002's Grammy nominated "Dreamland "album.

What reviewers are saying about "Soul Science":

"...a real landmark in African flavoured blues...it just feels right" fRoots

“Unquestionably the cross-cultural album of the year” – Independent on Sunday

“…raw and gutsy” – The Telegraph

“…this is no dry experiment but music played with real soul” - The Sun 4****

“…pounding percussion and driving guitar with equally stirring and virtuoso fiddle solos and rousing vocals” – The Guardian 4****

“An album to make the word fusion respectable again” – The Evening Standard 4****

“…Camara’s obsessive fiddling and Adams’ wide guitar shapes worked a treat…” – Financial Times 4****

“ …it is difficult not to imagine Bo (Diddley) himself playing "Ya Ta Kaya" or "Sanakubay" on some 1950’s package tour” – The Times 4****

"...this is an exceptional effort" - Songlines 5*****

"Admirers of Tinariwen and Ali Farka Toure should find this irrestible" - Uncut 4****

Quotes from Robert Plant and The Strange Sensations' 'Mighty Rearranger' album.

"the impressive skills of guitarist Justin Adams dominate most tracks, his intuitive playing is full of eastern promise" CLASH

"a shimmering stew of sounds that's part heavy rock, part heavy Mali, with Justin Adams playing what looks like a giant leaf (a gimbri). " MOJO LIVE REVIEW

"Plant's best showing since Physical Graffitti" OBSERVER

Quotes from Justin’s highly critically acclaimed debut solo album ‘Desert Road’.

"a masterpiece" – fROOTS

"…a breathtakingly intense and expressionistic vision" – SONGLINES

".. spidery psyche-out improv acid guitars and layers of entrancing acoustics.." 'Pick of the Month' - GUITAR MAGAZINE

"Desert Road is a classic late night listen"- fROOTS

"..powerful and restless...grainy and haunted" - Q Magazine

"..a moody, evocative blend of Anglo-Arabic blues" - GUARDIAN

Quotes from Tinariwen’s Aman Iman album:-

"Producer Justin Adams captures Tinariwen in the raw – minimalist collective playing" – UNCUT

"This third album is by some distance the best showcase of their desert blues, thanks, in part to the sonic clarity of producer Justin Adams" – OBSERVER

"As producer, Adams has captured brilliantly Tinariwen's characteristic blend of loping camel-gait rhythms...and desert guitar lines" - INDEPENDENT

"Justin Adams has wisely kept the band sound as live, and exhilarating, as the were in that Bamako rehearsal room" - GUARDIAN

Screen Credits

Beautiful People – film score co-writer

When The Red Wind Blows – film score co-writer

The Kitchen Child – film score writer

Hackney Downs – film Score writer

3 Ways To Go – film score writer

Numerous ID’s & themes for BBC, MTV, Channel 4 and ITV

Both Desert Road and KIN are available to buy from www.irl.org.uk


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Justin Adams - Musician / Composer / Producer's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 403 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Invisible System





Jul 6 2009 1:16 PM

Dear All,
Justin and Juldeh are guesting on Invisible System - Punt (made in Ethiopia) getting great reviews and airplay in the UK and US e.g.current and next FRoots mag

Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles / Noden Inctus)
Simon Hinkler (ex-The Mission)
Dubulah (ex-Transglobal Underground, Temple of Sound, Natasha Atlas etc)
Perch (Zion Train)
Juldeh (Justin Adams, Realworld etc)
Elmer Thudd (ex-Loop Guru)
Mahmoud Ahmed & Bahta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopiques)
Hilaire Shabby (Baba Maal)
Justin Adams (Robert Plant & Strange Sensation, ex Jah Wobble’s Invaders)
Tsedenia, Mimi, Kebede, Desta, Terameg & Sami (Ethiopians since this album signed to Realworld Records as Dub Collosus)
Joie Hinton (ex-Eat Static & Ozric Tentacles / Here and Now / IGV)
Martin Cradick (Baka Beyond/ex-Outback)
Gary Woodhouse (The Rhythmites)
Bos (ex-Junkwaffle and Warp/Eat Static artist)

The album is Ethiopian, World, Dub, Dance, Rock, Drum & Bass, Psychedelia, Trance, Electronica & live traditional vocal and instrument. amazon.co.uk, play.com, harperdiabate.com, itunes, cdbaby etc (buy the cd, art work is awsome!)
Mickey and the Goodfellas





Jul 1 2009 10:51 AM

Hello

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Joanne





Jun 19 2009 12:08 AM

Hello Justin i just love your new pictures off your new album its wonderful xx please drop by when you get the chance Joanne :)2
Kirsten





Jun 18 2009 3:31 AM

Hey Justin! Congratulations on the new cd! I like it! As you said before, "Yet another satisfied customer." :) I may not be around often, but I'll check in from time to time. I thought I read somewhere that you were coming over to N.America this year? What's up with that?
Jennifer





Jun 10 2009 3:50 AM

Hope you're having an outstanding week.


Art Comments

Spicecomments.com - Art Comments

Rabbit and Pumpkin!





Jun 7 2009 9:12 AM

Hi Justin we're huge fans and we think you'll dig our new track, please check it out!  R&P
Ady Random





Jun 4 2009 10:08 PM

great at wychwood festival.....cheers
Reaktion





Jun 2 2009 2:12 PM

Reaktion & Tapsit are very happy to introduce 2 new records of tuareg music:

TERAKAFT : LIVE 2008
6 tracks recorded during the European tour 2008. Includes 2 unreleased tracks: “Targa” et “Ewarnanagh”

AZAWAD : LIVE 1999
Behind the name of Azawad are hidden three original members of the Tinariwen collective: Abdallah, Hassan and Kedou. These are the live recordings made in 1999 in France, which can perhaps be considered Tinariwen’s first concert outside Africa.

Only available for downloads on all the legal platforms (iTunes, emusic...).
Exclusively on tamasheq. net : tracks + digital booklets (english & french).

Terakaft – Azawad
Joanne





Jun 1 2009 7:35 PM

Great page justin wow love your reviews on your new album which i am waiting to buy. cant wait to listen to it how are you please try come back to Liverpool someday Jo x
Merlin





May 31 2009 5:36 PM

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara track 'Subuhanalai' to be aired on Merlin's Magical Music Moments; Wednesday 3rd June 2009. Live on air on Soundart Radio 102.5 fm 20.30 - 22.00 pm GMT. The full play list is now up on my blog.

To listen live follow the link @ www.soundartradio.org.uk

We look forward to your company.

Merlin
Paulo Alm





May 28 2009 12:14 AM

Good luck to you Justin & Juldeh!!!
The new album sounds great!
Cheers from Brazil,
Paulo


Jeff Davis





May 27 2009 8:21 PM

Thanks for the add.
I am a fan.Saw You with Robert in Grand Prarie,TX Oct. '05 AWESOME show!
Pete Winwood (Now on Twitter)





May 27 2009 6:11 PM

best wishes pete
doms





May 27 2009 4:09 PM

Hello Justin, thanks you very much for the add.
Much honoured.
Beautiful music.
Greetings from Bordeaux.
Secret Archives of the Vatican





May 25 2009 11:01 AM

Loving the new album, guys....
Sedryk





May 23 2009 12:20 PM

I fell in love with 'Soul Science' 2 years ago... The new album is absolutely brilliant too, I already love it !
I really appreciate you as a guitarist & producer. Hope you will be touring in France this year.
Take care.
Jennifer





May 22 2009 11:04 PM

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

CommentYou.com is your One Stop Shop
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RAFIKI JAZZ





May 21 2009 10:47 AM

Rafiki Jazz & Mim Suleiman say big hello to you and ..what splendid sounds & ***** reviews for Tell no Lies..
Greetings from Rafikians
Lisa Gilman





May 19 2009 1:06 PM

Congratulations on all the great reviews of the new CD!!! Well done.
Mickey and the Goodfellas





May 14 2009 11:07 AM

Hello
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Black Routes radio2rdj.com:





May 12 2009 6:58 AM

Hey Justin, listening to Tell No Lies as I type this - fantastic! Love it ... and Soul Science!

When you get to number 3 with Juldeh, I reckon you should record Tutti Frutti.

Sorry, a musician's joke there: the guitarist on Little Richard's 1955 recording for Specialty was named ... Justin Adams!!!

Cheers mate, keep up the good work!

- Gil
8=(|)

PS you shoulda hung around in Oz post WOMADelaide for Tinariwen at Sydney Opera House!!!
giuvazza™ (from the ’vazza)





May 12 2009 6:02 AM

Hi justin! come stai?
i'm waiting the new album!!!!!I'm very curious!!!
just a question..
which is the year of your gold top? 1952??
have a goot time with the new tour!!!
thank yoU!!
G.
Joanne





May 11 2009 12:07 PM

Hi justin just stopping by see you are on line please drop by a comment love to hear from you make my day pleease :)
Fred Delforge - Zicazic





May 10 2009 7:52 PM

Bonjour,
la chronique de TELL NO LIES est en ligne sur Zicazic et un simple clic sur le logo ci dessous vous y conduira directement ...
Enjoy !


Joanne





May 9 2009 5:50 PM

its good to see you with Mr Plant like your videos on your profile will this spark some more work together do hope so Regards Jo from Liverpool :)
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