★★★★★
Oleta Adams' mahogany alto is so warm and gracious, her interpretations so distinct, that you immediately know her voice, regardless of the tune. And, for a time, you never doubted that if Adams was singing on the track, the song would possess a bit of magic. For almost two decades, I scoped out Oleta Adams' features on jazz albums, tributes and soundtracks because even if I didn't like anything else on the project, I knew Adams would deliver a rendition worth the cost of the entire album...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Track Listing: Feelin' Good, Picture You the Way That I Do, We Can't Stay Here, No Way to Love Me; Another Day Has Come and Gone, Best That I Can Do, Let's Stay Here, Don't Explain, Yesterday, Act of Forgiveness. Personnel: Oleta Adams: vocals, piano, keyboards; St...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-08-20
★★★★★
Oleta Adams' 15 years as a Kansas City jazz nightclub act probably didn'tprepare her for the pop success she's now enjoying. Her debut album,Circle of One, has moved into the top 20 some eight months after itsrelease. It may have taken this long to catch on because it's agentle album dominated by sparse arrangements ? mostly just piano,bass, and drums, which reflect Adams' gospel roots. Her voice cansoar with intensity, hanging onto notes for dear life, or suddenlydrop into hushed intimacy...
- ew.com
2009-06-04
★★★★★
At the time of the release of her debut, Circle of One, Oleta Adams was best-known as the impassioned backing vocalist on Tears for Fears' 1989 album The Seeds of Love; most prominently featured on "Woman in Chains". About a decade later, she was best-known for "Get Here": a gospel-tinged belter later revived by one Justin Guarini as his showpiece on the 2002 phenomenon American Idol...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Since emerging in the early '90s with "Get Here," the incredibly rangy R&B; vocalist Oleta Adams has found a mixed bag of success in slick R&B; and gospel music -- but her church background made the latter a more honest spiritual fit. Her re-emergence after a five-year hiatus is a triumphant one, as she mines familiar material with that distinctive, emotionally powerful voice that's been off the scene way too long...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Although she always demonstrated a strong gospel influence, Come Walk With Me is Oleta Adams' first full-fledged religious album. Unsurprisingly, her singing shines throughout, but the record falls just short from being a powerhouse because the songs often meander, failing to hit upon a strong, memorable hook. Nevertheless, the album succeeds in being a moving modern gospel record because of Adams' passion and her remarkable voice.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
After the success of her debut, Adams doesn't change the formula for her second album. Which isn't a bad thing -- the stylish love ballads she sings are some of the best adult contemporary pop of the early '90s.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27