When you have 16 #1 hits as both an artist and a highly sought after producer for many smooth artists, the word ‘unstoppable’ would seem aptly applied to Adam Hawley. The guitarist, handpicked by Earth, Wind & Fire founder, Maurice White, for the band's own Kalimba label upon his debut on the scene in 2016, seems to embody the word, which also happens to be the title for his sixth release. With one Billboard #1 hit already from this project, Hawley's 10 song offering is yet again ripe with infectious grooves, stylish melodies, and some highly notable guests who bring some musical personality of their own on board for the ride.
Hawley set the tone on his magnificent project with the highly infectious and musically irresistible premier single, “Uptop”, then upped himself one with the follow-up and title tune, “Unstoppable”, falling just shy of Billboard's coveted and esteemed #1 position, but equally as driving and rhythmic as the previous. Keeping with the ' up' theme, Hawley is once again on fire with the highly energetic, “Up On It”, as his brilliant guitar work gets some brass and sax backup giving an added layer of instrumental greatness.
Hawley welcomes special guest saxophonist/pianist, Judah Sealey, to the project on “Absolute Love”, another up tempo gem but with a definitive romantic vibe, as one would expect on a tune with such a title. And on the topic of romance, the guitarist's wife, Kat, provides some sweet and sultry vocals on “Best Part”, a back to basics love song with stripped down guitar and a laid back vibe culminating with the sound of gently flowing water.
“Soul Vibe” and “Yearning For Your Love”, the latter featuring the light vocal accompaniment of L. Young, demonstrate Hawley’s versatility as a songwriter and performer, in that he has the mastery to shift gears from addictive, funky tempos, to romantic yet equally mesmerizing slower jams, all without missing a beat, metaphorically speaking. And that becomes unequivocally clear on Unstoppable, a title which I think is highly metaphorical when contemplating what Hawley's future holds.
Reviewed by Stu Berketo