The Proper Authorities is the solo project of Keith Adams, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Sound Mind, Giant Wow And 1000 Watt Revival. These bands got to share the stage with the likes of Alien Ant Farm and Meat Beat Manifesto, amongst many others. In 2006, The Proper Authorities released the acclaimed debut album Public Service Announcement and in 2012, the track Today featured in the film Radius. More recently, 2019 saw the release of Regain Control, a hard hitting rock song.
This track, Perfect Alibi is an upbeat, strident pop/rock track that really showcases Keith Adams’ considerable abilities as singer, songwriter and producer. It becomes immediately apparent that there’s a quality of performance and songwriting craft that you just don’t hear in the mainstream anymore, or rarely. Indeed, the assured craftsmanship as the verse moves to the vaulting chorus brought to mind the great pop of the 80’s such as Tears For Fears, INXS and Peter Gabriel.
This is combined with slick modern production and a very high calibre of musicianship, and you can see how this song will be hugely popular with fans of Maroon 5, Bruno Mars and Jason Derulo, along with anything by Mark Ronson. Built around a muscular, powerful beat and low-end synth bass, the versatility and distinctive range of Adams’ voice is what first grabs you.
The chorus, in particular, is where his voice truly shines as he depicts a relationship in deep decline due to a duplicitous partner: “Despite your smile, the sky fell down when you said we were on solid ground, there’s something off behind your eyes and your perfect alibi…”. The high note he hits on this last line is outstanding and gives the chorus its climactic moment.
The second verse is full of instrumental nuances (all played by himself), which requires repeated listens to absorb the intricacy of. The final choruses bring the track to a euphoric close, the vibrant energy of the music remaining compelling to the last second.
Overall, this is a superb pop/rock song from the hugely talented Keith Adams. It takes great skill to write a first rate pop song and then huge talent to make the creative vision a reality. Adams achieves all this with consummate ease and the result is the best single I’ve yet heard this year and I’ll be surprised if there’s a better one. The Proper Authorities deserve to be huge.
The Faulkner Review 