Adults Only

by Andy KellmanAccording to Aaron Hall, Adults Only is not a comeback (fair enough), is very different from his past work (not exactly), and is his final album (we'll see). It's Hall's third album in 13 years -- not counting the Guy reunion affair from 2000 -- so it's possible he wasn't all that enthusiastic about his solo career to begin with. So is there any reason for you to get worked up? Not really, unless the sound of Hall's voice turns you on in any context. Adults Only's half-hearted feel and messy, try-everything approach (almost all the up-to-date tricks are attempted) easily makes it the least of his solo albums. Lyrically, Hall is raunchier than ever, though he's never flat-out vulgar. Even so, there's at least a dozen "oh, please" moments that could send you racing for Guy, The Future, and The Truth. This is confused, uneven, and awkward, exemplified best by a sappy cover of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" that immediately follows a song about his endurance in the sack.