Twenty four
years after Oleta Adams’ empowering version of the Brenda Russell-penned “Get
Here” became a Top 5 Billboard 100 hit, earned her a Grammy nomination for Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance and was adopted as an anthem for the U.S. troops
in the Gulf War, the veteran soul, jazz and gospel singer, songwriter and
pianist continues to touch people around the world with comfort, compassion and
a beautiful, much needed sense of catharsis.
Responding
graciously to fan requests for recordings of two of her most requested songs of
the past few years, Adams has simultaneously released “Long and Lonely Hours”
and “Safe and Sound” digitally in a multitude of platforms – including iTunes,
CD Baby and Amazon.com. More than simply lush, heartfelt ballads showcasing her
trademark stunning vocals, these two tracks were written as musical prayers
touching on important spiritual and societal issues.
Inspired in
part by the last years of her mother’s life as she battled cancer, “Long and
Lonely Hours” (subtitled “Prayer of the Afflicted”) touches upon the loneliness
of a dying person and the questions, hopes, doubts and fears that go into a
prayerful conversation with God during the struggle between life and death. It
is a song for anyone who has ever suffered or known someone who has been
through the experience. In the bridge section, Adams asks, “Lord, can’t you
hear me in my suffering/Prayers of a sorrowful song/Father come near me, help
me, love me/Don’t let me anguish too long.” Later she asks directly for
healing, whether that may come physically in this life – or as a release into
the next: “Father, hurry, don’t delay/Master, you’re the great physician/Could
you please heal me today.”
On the
soulful and lyrical, acoustic guitar driven “Safe and Sound,” Adams offers a
heartfelt prayer of protection in response to recent events that have jarred
our collective sense of security, and an
increasingly troubled society that is often frightening for parents raising
young children. Adams concludes each of the three verses describing different
stages of a child’s life with a plea that resonates with all mother and
fathers: “Keep him safe and sound/Keep him safe and holy/When I’m not around.”
In the bridge, she reflects on the connection between earthly parents and our
Heavenly Father: “What a mystical creation you’ve turned our lives into/From
the love that we’ve been given/We’re living to give him right back to you.”
“Long and
Lonely Hours” and “Safe and Sound” are the lead tracks of an upcoming album
(release date TBA) of musical prayers that Adams is currently working on
entitled A Place for Peace.
“My interest
in writing songs as musical prayers stemmed from some observations I made after
9/11, when people were shaken and found themselves back in church, seeking
comfort and healing, holding hands and lighting candles – yet not knowing quite
how to articulate meaningful prayers that captured their emotions and needs,”
says Adams, who released the gospel oriented album Come Walk With Me in 1997 –
seven years after her breakthrough Circle of One.
“My journey
into this type of songwriting has been about exploring what prayer means,” she
adds “Over the years, fans who came to my shows told me they used my music to
soothe them in their time of sorrow, and it came to my heart that perhaps I
could help them learn the words to say. One of my favorite parts of being a
performer is having the opportunity to bless people with my music, be part of
their lives and write and sing songs that comfort them through difficult
times.”
Adams has
been in typical whirlwind touring and performing mode throughout 2015, having
recently returned from South Africa (where she performed with singer/guitarist
Jonathan Butler) and heading soon to the North Sea Jazz Festival and then
Istanbul. In August, she will be performing in Chicago and San Jose, CA with
drummer/composer Terri Lyne Carrington; Adams appears on Carrington’s upcoming
The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul, which also features R&B and jazz greats
Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, Chaka Khan, Ledisi, Chante Moore, Valerie
Simpson, Nancy Wilson and Lizz Wright.
TOUR DATES
July 10 –
North Sea Jazz Festival – Holland
July 12 –
Istanbul, Turkey
Aug 8 – San
Jose, CA – San Jose Jazz Festiva
Aug 22 –
Chicago, IL – LIttle Black Pearl
Aug 28 –
Richmond, VA – PRIVATE EVENT
Aug 29 –
NYC, NY – BB Kings Blues Club
Sept 11-12 –
Boston, MA – Scullers Jazz Club
Sept 27 –
Houston, TX – House of Blues – Fundraising Event
Oct 8 –
Amsterdam, Holland – PRIVATE
Oct 13 –
Houston, TX Zilkha Hall – PRIVATE
Nov 6 –
Alexandria, VA –
Nov 7 –
Annapolis, MD
Dec 12 – Cerritos,
CA – Cerritos Performing Colors of Christmas
Dec 14-15 –
San Francisco, CA – Symphony Hall –
Colors of Christmas
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