Skrizzly Adams at Mercury Lounge

Skrizzly Adams was born Daniel Zavaro and learned to play several musical instruments while growing up in New Jersey. At age 15, he was a guitarist in a band, but only sang when a song needed him. While attending college in 2009, he began experimenting with digitally-produced beats in his studio in Jersey City. He submitted his first three tracks to rapper Chris Webby, who embraced two of them and had Zavaro produce his 2011 EP There Goes the Neighborhood. In 2014, Zavaro emerged as a singer/songwriter named Skrizzly Adams and self-released his first EP. In 2015, his song "Tipping Point" won the Grand Prize at the International Songwriting Competition. Tours opening for Elle King and Lissie gave him some added exposure. Skrizzly Adams at last released his debut album, Young Man, on November 15, 2019.

At Mercury Lounge tonight, Skrizzly Adams seemed to be of two worlds. Half of his songs seemed to originate from heartland rock and the other half leaned on hip-hop, trap and urban pop influences. One would imagine that the dichotomy would be polarizing yet, for the most part, Adams' arsenal of clever lyrics and his honest delivery were engaging enough to melt the walls of separation. Adams was an everyman, singing his thoughtful blue-collar lyrics with grit and passion, then occasionally breaking into a new rhythm with a rap. Adams often strummed a folk guitar, and then the band, comprised of guitarist Nick Tesoriero, bassist/keyboardist Jamie Pitrelli, and drummer Brandon Ingalls, joined to give a song a rocking workout. In the end, the standout was Adams' songwriting craft and convincing delivery. Fortunately, the musical chemistry that supported his compositions also clicked smoothly and refreshingly. Although the wide span of old and new sounds might alienate some purists, there will be a larger audience willing to jump genres with Skrizzly Adams.