Concrete Hooks and Midnight Ash: Great Adamz Finds Clarity in "Umada"

Great Adamz's hook is an experiential connection rather than one that is artistically contrived. It is as solid as the ground you walk on, like fog in the air, or a sweaty beer bottle that has been placed on a table at a recording studio at an unholy hour of the morning (2 a.m.) for those who happen upon it after a long night of recording sessions. In his youth, Great Adamz was born Adamatie in Warri, Nigeria; however, he has taken the winding road from Delta State to stages throughout the United Kingdom, leaving behind ashes and uncertainty; he has come back not only as a larger-than-life figure but as an improved artist; it has not been Hero’s journey type of experience, more of a Grit and Groove experience.

Now, we are presented with a musical collaboration from Great Adamz and Manuel Riva called "Umada." Manuel Riva, known for his Billboard charted dance tracks such as "Mhm Mhm," uses carefully constructed builds that provide a cinematic feel for building anticipation, and Great Adamz complements those builds through the use of layered vocals that are both ritualistic and epiphanic. The end product of "Umada" lies somewhere between the rhythmic depths of Afro House music and the precise productions that define European club music; this production is a living, breathing entity that gradually expands and explodes into millions of pieces like so many laughing children when they throw their hands out of the window on a long drive home.

Chapter Four of this new album is a turning point. With a new number one on Music Week's Black Music chart, Adamz is poised for success with MOBO Awards alumni. The song, Blessed Boy, showed that Adamz can tell his story through a collective chant. Umada takes it further; it is a spiritual experience, but also a strategy. Adamz aims for global dance floors, represents the Diaspora and creates connection from noise.

When the music dies down, the emotion remains forever strong. The music becomes static and solidified; a pledge made through ashes.