Adrian Whitehead: One Small Stepping Man

Terribly poppy in the vein of Beatles, Adrian Whitehead seems to have been beamed down from the same rocket Austin Powers had. With a sweet, catchy opener entitled “Caitlin’s 60’s Pop Song”, a most apt title, Whitehead starts off on a high and keeps the consistency in tact with a lighter but memorable “Saving Caroline” that recalls The Byrds or Roger McGuinn. Unfortunately, Whitehead falters somewhat with a run of the mill offering in “Radio One” that has nice harmonies but little else going for it. But he more than atones for this with an incredibly stellar melodic piano-pop number “You Are The Sun”. However, the eeriness of “Spector’s Dead” is a bit much, almost leading into cringe territory. Sounding like Lennon and referring to a gun is not a great idea and Spector could be construed as a reference to Phil Spector. Nonetheless, Whitehead is a gifted songwriter judging by how effortlessly he pulls off “Elle” for most of the five minutes it lasts. And “Nothing’s Changed” is another sugar-coated pop number which seems to be the perfect way to wrap things up.