ADRIAN BELEW, Op Zop Too Wah

I celebrate(?) my sixtieth birthday in a couple of days. While I deal with that shock, I shift my memories back to my thirtieth birthday and the wonderful present I received.

I was so excited to see Adrian Belew’s new album Op Zop Too Wah released around my Special Day. It was even more exciting to grab a copy on said day. And what an album it is!

I like to describe this album as “The Full Adrian.” That is to say, everything that culminates in Adrian’s musical world can be found on this single record. There’s the pop songwriting sensibility, multi-instrumental skills, heavy experimentation, relentless guitar work, progressive rock riffs and time signatures, soaring vocals … all the things that make Adrian who he is.

Best of all, Op Zop Too Wah is a great deal of fun. Adrian changes musical directions on a dime as easily as one might go the store for a loaf of bread. We should all be so talented.

For anyone interested in the music of Adrian Belew, Op Zop Too Wah is a terrific place to start. I’m just grateful for the wonderful birthday present.

(The cover art is an AI rendering of my own photo. I wanted to see what it would look like as an oil painting.)

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com