By David Werther.

Adam Ayer and Friends, Pick-up Lines and the Prayers that Follow (Adam Ayer and Friends, 2012)

           The performer asks, "Have any of you ever wondered what kind of a man falls in love with a midget who wants to take over the world?" and then remarks, "This question plagued me for a while. So, I wrote a song about it." The artist is Adam Ayer and the source a YouTube video, a beautiful live rendition of "Josephine," a song on P & P.

           In every young man (and not a few older ones) there is an emotional midget with visions of grandeur, who rarely recognizes how stunted he is until he gets more than he bargained for and a lot less than he wanted. A kick-ass tough guy ("If You Be My Dame") winds up with a woman with an oceanic appetite ("Chicks, Man… Chicks"), and ends up torn between a romantic hope ("Louder Desperation") and a desire to be a boy again ("Dragon Scales"). In a CD full of strong songs, my current favorites are "Dragon Scales" for its honest vulnerability and "Monotony" (featuring Transit) for its beautiful buildup of layered voices echoing Hamlet ("Angels and ministers of grace defend us"), followed by a rap break, and then sung words of hope for the darkness that lies ahead. Henceforth I'm including Adam Ayer among my ministers of grace.