SINGLE REVIEW: ADAM SWEET - BACKSTOP

One of the stand out songs from when #TEAMw21 saw the Adam Sweet Band last year, "Backstop" finally gets its day in the sun. With Adam channeling his best Jackson Browne, this is surely his finest recorded vocal to date, on a song co-written with Nashville legend Hugh Moffatt. The only fear Adam had on the night was whether the word "Backstop" travels well outside of the USA, and while admittedly it's not a word we use every day, in this song the chorus places it, in its own context so that even if you were not 100% sure what it meant, there are enough clues to guide you!

The song itself is honest and heartfelt with Adam doing a fantastic job on both guitar and production duties. The sound is sumptuous, the supporting organ and backing vocals go on to create something truly special

This is a song to be savoured and the opening takes a quite leisurely approach, with the opening twenty five seconds or so spent on introductory guitar work, joined for the last few seconds by that organ sound before Adam's vocals kick in.

"I don't talk too much

About the way I feel

But I know your love

And mine is real

I'll just say it now

So you will understand

What I'll do for you

Just to be your man"

Adam lingers on the word "Be" making it last for two or three seconds, showing a real confidence on his vocals that he has perhaps not shown too often before. It is highly effective, the simplest things most often are, and the performance has such authenticity about it, that there is nothing schmaltzy about the feelings expressed.

The vocals continue to shine into the chorus

"If you're feeling down,

In a corner getting pushed around

I'll be you backstop, your solid rock

Your good cop, till you're back on top

I'll be your Backstop"

The second set of verses continue in a similar vein, the percussion lets you know it is there but remains unobtrusive, the guitar sound, silkily wraps itself around you, the whole song exudes a feeling of warmth.

"You can count on me

When you're running low

I will still be there

Even if you lose control

All I ask of you

Is help me to understand

What you see in me

Tell me I'm your man"

The guitar and organ combine for one of the sweetest instrumental breaks you could ever wish to hear, with the percussion, a mixture of crisp beats and subtle shakers, being the icing on the cake. Listen loud in a darkened room and just let the overall sound envelop you.

We're not out of January, yet this could be an early contender for song of the year, it really is that good. It will certainly deserve a place on the best of lists at the end of the year if we can remember back to the dark nights of January by the time we reach December 2026.

There's an album due from Adam later in the year, this has set the bar incredibly high for what the rest of it will need to be like! If the Sweet / Moffat writing team can strike gold again, it should be something special.

Backstop is released January 30th.