Search - Raphaels :: Supernatural

Great in every way

A. A. Wilcox | Rochester, NY | 04/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I found out that Stuart Adamson had committed suicide, I went back and listened to Big Country's "The Crossing" for the first time in years. I was shocked by how well it held up. Power, grace, depth, and remarkable originality. So I got interested in finding out where Adamson's career had gone.The short version of that story is that it all led to the Raphaels, a band that was really a singing and songwriting partnership between Adamson and Nashville hit-writing machine Marcus Hummon. Adamson spent his last 5 years in Nashville, and a whole lot of it sunk into him without coming anywhere near to washing away his Scottish flavor.First, Supernatural sounds amazing. Finding a group with two singers as good as Hummon and Adamson is rare. They both sing with great competence and deeply-felt emotion. And their voices blend beautifully, complementary but different. The musicianship, by those two and a cast of Nashville pros, is impeccable.And the songs, as another reviewer has said, just continue grow on you with each listen. There are no low points. Supernatural (the song) should have been a hit, and Stand Up, too. But listen a few times and songs like Learning to Row, My Only Crime, and Life is a Church seem like classics.And of course, the CD gets the emotional boost of having been the final work by a very talented, very sad man. When Adamson reaches the vocal highs at the end of My Only Crime, it's just devastating.It's sad that so few people will probably ever hear this CD. It's clearly going to be a forgotten masterpiece."

Supernatural Sounds Very Natural

Christopher R. Cicatelli | bethesda, md | 11/03/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"wow...what a wondeful CD. Stuart made such a natural step towards the countryesque sound that emanates from this record. there is an unmistakable, familiar Scottish/Celtic feel to this piece of work, and the fact that it was written in and recorded in Nashville, Tn. just makes it all come together. One must admit that Big Country music does have somewhat of a country feel to it...albeit, a scottich/country/rock feel, but there are definitely some country aspects to the Big Country sound. i simply fell in love with this one and only album from The Raphaels. So sad that this would be the last album from Stuart...the music world lost one of its' true musicians/songwriters when Stuart passed on...
album highlights: Simple Man, Private Battlefield, and Old Country, Country....i am someone who absolutely HATES country music, but this album, although it does have some country feel to it, is simply incredible....thank you Stuart, thank you Marcus! Stuart, you are dearly missed and always will be...."

A Great Progression

Michael | Orange, California USA | 01/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply stated this one super recording... it's great for Big Country fans and for Country fans who like a little twist. The music is just great I put 5 stars because it just seems to grow on you. I'm just sorry that the music can't grow because the seed of something really good is there. I haven't stopped playing it since it arrived yesterday.. enjoy it because it'll be music you can enjoy for a long long time."