Tony AdamoSinger - Visual ArtistAbout the artist:A Review By: Edward Blanco, EjazznewsBay area vocalist Tony Adamo garnished a five star rating from Smoothjazz.com for his latest release, 'Straight Up Deal.' However, there's a lot more to the smooth jazz sound found on this recording than what they would have you believe. Tony Adamo, equipped with a deep baritone voice, belts out some real gyrating funk, R&B;and soulful jazz tunes on this fourteen piece CD, which also includes a selection of straight ahead beautiful contemporary jazz vocals.Adamo records the album with nineteen players among them, funk bassist Paul Jackson, saxophone great Ernie Watts and trumpeter Eddie Henderson. He also enlists the help of The Tower of Power Horns which appear on five tracks.As I previously alluded to, the music is quite varied with three of the first four tracks firmly grounded in the funk genre ('No Strings,' 'Passport,' and 'Up In It'). Ernie Watts showcases his sax on the R&B;-shaded 'In The Winelight,' while Adamo gets jazzy on the first straight jazz number in 'Milestones,' with the trumpet voice of Eddie Henderson setting the pace.Tunes like 'Autumn Leaves,' 'Wouldn't You,' 'Stolen Moments,' and 'Speak Low' fall in the smooth jazz side of the music where Adamo shines singing beautiful lyrics from some great standards. One of my favorite numbers is the spunky and lively 'Lolita' featuring the Tower of Power Horns.'Straight Up Deal' reveals the vocal talents of a superior singer who is able to convey the essence of different musical styles with ease and grace. An album that will obviously appeal to a broad audience considering the varied selection of music on this disc. I enjoyed the album; it was truly a 'Straight Up Deal' from Tony Adamo.www.myspace.com/tonyrocadamo soultracks.com reviews Soul Man Tony Adamowww.myspace.com/tonyrocadamoSitting in the jazz cafe along with a few friends, sipping Chamomile tea, singer/visual artist Tony Adamo enters the stage offering us a sweet deal. He is offering his latest 14-track fusion CD, Straight Up Deal. What is his recipe? Add a taste of Michael Beck, sample some Santana, throw in the sentiment of Miles Davis, the style of Grover Washington, Jr. and the Lou Rawls-like vibrato of Tony Adamo. There you have it: an eclectic, high energy project of jazz, R&B, soul and funk.He allowed us a taste of his dish with an introduction of a few of his powerful featured guest artists, such as Doc Kupka (Tower Of Power) and Ernie Watts on sax, Eddie Henderson on trumpet and Paul Jackson on bass guitar. The appetizer, ?No Strings,' displayed his funky, jazz side. The main course was assorted with several classic remakes: ?Winelight' (instrumental piece made famous by Grover Washington); Miles Davis' ?Milestones' and Joe Zawinul's ?Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.' With such a passionate band and Tony's funky, R&B voice we were begging for more. He quenched our thirst with ?Midnite Cafe.'As he closed, he offered us another deal - dessert- with complimentary copies of his latest project. As a singer, but also, a visual artist, he took personal interest in the creativity of his CD packaging. It was stylishly designed, with a nice headshot on the cover and the Northern California Bay Area city nightlife as the backdrop on the back. Tony Adamo, and his band reflects that real musicians are here to stay, still offering talent and stellar performances.Visit websiteTony Adamo at All About Jazz.