Dig

You know how a lot of music that came out in the 90s can kind of, well, sound like it came from the 90s? Either it's cheesy, or it's too grungy, or whatever. "Dig" is not one of those albums. Its well-mixed instrumentation, thoughtful (major understatement) lyrics, and lack of over-production makes this an album that will stand strong for many years. Too bad Gene Eugene died a few years ago. This is, I think, the strongest mark he left behind. Even when put up against non-Christian music, this album puts many mainstream efforts to shame. And I say that as a person who is very, very picky about what Christian music I like.Some favourites are "Dig," the song which got me into the band in the first place, and "River On Fire," a beautiful ballad which sings about the Cuyahoga River catching on fire, and as the song winds down and fades out one can hear the crackling of flames in the background.As others have said here, this is a gem of an album, and is well worth your time.

Gene Eugene's band Adam Again put out some funky groove rock. They never had a huge following, loyal though the few fans were. Eugene probably became better known through his production credits on a lot of other folk's albums and as one of the founding members of The Lost Dogs. Too bad because this CD of theirs deserved mainstream North American and European attention. With "Dig" they hit one out of the park, people!"Deep" ~ Kicking off the album with a groove-hop-bop of grinding guitars and playful keys and deep sliding bass lines Eugene sings in cryptic lyrics decrying the corrosiveness of humanity, especially of a corrupted religious facade, and admits that he doesn't/ does want to go beyond to the "lover of the tired and cold...dying on the cross for the sick and the lost is the lover that I long to know"."It Is What It Is (What It Is)" ~ Plumbing a big, deep early 1970's funk groove Eugene turns his attention to consumerism/ sloganeering and philosophy/ materialism. Guess what he thinks of them?"Dig" ~ The mournful almost dirge-like "Dig" is one of my favorite songs of the album. There is a pensiveness paired both in the music and lyrics that was not found (and still is not found) in Contemporary Christian Music. And just in case you're wondering Adam Again was outside of CCM or, at the closest, at its outer edges. This song evokes both wonder and our incomprehensible finitude, a feeling of futility balanced by a rise in hope."Hopeless, Etc." ~ Man can dude hold his notes! Eugene typically stretches his notes in his verses but here he holds one for 13 seconds and another for 18 seconds. Waitaminute! This aint opera! Well, this song finds Eugene reviewing his person and not liking what he sees, nothing but incredulous failings, which ultimately leads him to conclude that "I am hopeless without You". This song could be the meaningful counterpart to Beck's song "Loser"."Songwork" ~ Deep guitar tones begin and end this haunted number that recalls some old spiritual and Christmas hymns."Worldwide" ~ A protest song, specifically protesting the United States' "Operation: Desert Shield". Gene Eugene and several other alternative Christian artists did what many beatniks do best: protest with their music. This protest goes far beyond the misapprehension over combat and is applied to the mournful plights of the disenfranchised worldwide, or even of the common man who accidentally takes another's life."Walk Between the Raindrops" ~ ...if you can. Lord tell me what kind of man makes this plan? I don't understand such a grand scam?" With equal parts funk and groove rock this song could be about a number of things such as the televangelist's fleecing of their flocks of dopey sheep or man's grasping at straws to explain away God through science. It's left open for you to decide."Hidden, Hidden" ~ There are some nice lyrical tempo changes and great drumming found in this delectable bite of groove rock. Eugene sings about how we need to get things out in the open, our thoughts, our feelings, our shortcomings, in order to sort them out but how fear holds us back from doing so. There are some emotional undertones as he directs the quagmire that our barring up of sins creates and concludes "I fear that it could destroy me if you reveal what's hidden, hidden.""River On Fire" ~ A heartbreaking and personal song of personal heartbreak, of loving someone and yet realizing that you are the cause of their pain. This song presages perhaps what was to become of Gene Eugene and Riki Michele's marriage. I can't be sure of this but Eugene didn't hide behind a lot of things (though "Hidden, Hidden" might disagree). The music here moves slowly, like a quiet vigil over an empty chair once occupied by a loved one and now occupied by a ghost. There are distant memories here of hot words and short cigarettes that still burn, albeit slowly and with ashen crumble intent. The song uses the metaphor of Cuyahoga, the river that caught fire, as a way of saying that two people don't automatically go together or that a relationship can become toxic and so behave not as it is supposed to. I wish that I could mandate a few contemporary artists to sing this song!"So Long" ~ The closing track ends on a rock groove and is itself a song about ending, about saying, "So what? What's it all good for? So long!" A tongue-in-cheek way to end the album.

Life is imperfect and Dig embraces this. This album is not about sunshine or pretty... it is about hope and grace in a world that oftentimes does more to weigh us down instead of lift us up. Its loud, discordant, plaintive, and deep. Even after 20 plus years the music is still as fresh and powerful as the day I first heard it. You won't be disappointed with this one.

This album first introduced me to the infectious vocals of Gene Eugene, and I am a better man for it. Well, maybe a bit harder of hearing, anyway.Adam Again has an exceptional talent for combining guitars, bass, and vocals into this hooky, loopy thing that wears out the repeat on the CD player. While almost impossible to sum up the album in few words, elements of funk and rock combine to force the volume up and the windows down. This strong, driving style remains throughout the album, pausing only briefly for the ballad-esk 'Dig' and 'River of Fire' and the short, poppy and extremely catchy 'Worldwide' that makes me wish I could whistle nearly as well as Gene. The only exception I had to this was 'Hopeless', where I felt the driving beat was a bit drawn out. Mind you, it was effective in driving the point of hopelessness across, but I still usually give the track a skip.The lyrics stand out, in that Gene's vocals are really a part of the song, versus music accompanying the singing. You come away absently singing the lyrics, then think about what your singing, then have a compelling need to listen to delve into what the songs are saying. At face value, the songs are creative combinations of catchy phrases. After further analysis, you start to grasp what they are trying to say. On careful reflection, you are emotionally moved as you say "Yeah, I'm there.". At whatever level you take the lyrics, they often say more than face value. One of the most played tracks from my CD player is the smooth 'River on Fire'. Once I learned about the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio that caught fire due to pollution, the song meant much more to me. And so it is with many of the songs, where you are left wondering, "Am I really getting what's being said?"This CD is definitely in the collector's category, and for good reason. A welcome addition to the Alternative genre, with hooks and vocals that make Dig a timeless classic. And if anyone knows what the front cover is all about, please let me know!Chad--The Edge