Any Way I Can

Adam Rader is a solo pop musician who reminds me of John Mayer and Dave Matthews. Though his vocals are similar to Mayer’s and Matthews', I consider Rader's singing to be much smoother.

Two things surprised me about this "teaser" album. First, there are only two songs on it, and second, one of these songs is a cover of "In The Ghetto.” For some reason, this song will never be put out of its misery. It has been covered numerous times by various artists ever since Mac Davis originally spewed it forth in the 1960s. Once Elvis covered it, the song became immortal and forever doomed to keep popping up like a game of Whack-A-Mole. The last time I heard a cover of this song, it was being used on South Park, and that was only as a joke. The show's notoriously bigoted character Cartman was singing it while walking through his friend Kenny's repressed neighborhood. "In The Ghetto" is a tired, corny, offensive song that only belongs in a cartoon.

This brings us back to Adam Rader’s two-song EP. I'm surprised that a man who seemingly wants to convey John Mayer-esque sexuality would perform a song equivalent to a cold shower. Listening to his cover of "In The Ghetto" makes me cringe and laugh nervously. The song is musically solid and mellow, if you can manage to ignore the lyrics. However, ignoring the words is about as easy as sleeping with the lights on while your six-year-old nieces jump up and down on your bed, loudly demanding cookies and stuffed animals.

Rader's other song "Any Way I Can" is a light pop song. Again, John Mayer's face kept floating into my mind as I listened. I can easily see it being used on a television show or commercial, as well as an adult contemporary radio station. I look forward to seeing what Adam Rader puts forth in the future. Let's hope he picks better songs to cover next time.

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