Todd Adams, Can’t Stop the Rain (Independent)

Houma native Todd Adams demonstrates his skills on piano with a five-piece band and three backing vocalists. The tracks are a mix of house rockers, romantic love songs, funky up-tempo numbers and even a Mardi Gras second line beat. The best track is a pleasantly rollicking number called “48 Hours” that calls to mind my favorite Grateful Dead song, “Touch of Grey” (“I Will Get By”) with its lighthearted country-folk rhythm. Adams’s piano playing ranges from good to excellent on each of his 12 original tracks. However, his vocals are inconsistent. I also had a problem with the echo chamber effects employed on vocals on several of the tracks. This was unnecessary.