Adam Dove
“Aftershock”
(Doghouse Records)
“Aftershock,” the debut solo album from singer/songwriter Adam Dove, is full of crunchy acoustic/electric guitar pop of the sort that might well up from the background in, say, an episode of “Sex and the City,” as Sarah Jessica Parker watches her latest love interest wander out of her life for good. While “Better Than The Night” is the song best suited to mushy moments, most everything on “Aftershock” would be right at home on the soundtrack from a sappy movie. The lone exception, and the lone break from Adam Dove’s forlorn whining and moaning, is “This Evolution,” which is pretty snappy, even though it deals with lost love, a favorite theme for Mr. Dove. Deep down (and in the privacy of your own home, safely away from the prying ears of others), everybody has a soft spot for this kind of schmaltzy music, but after a few spins, this album’s repetitive moping will find your last nerve and jump on it. Adam Dove’s strong guitar work proves him to be a talented musician, but “Aftershock” plays like, well, a broken record.
