For the better part of these past two years, Rochester native Adam Clark has crafted a cracking relationship with renowned producer David Schuler (P!nk, John Legend, Ricki Lee) and has been continuously growing as a varied artist in the lane of overarching pop/rock ever since. Whether one considers the sweeping chorus of “King of the Sky”, with tinges of an exotic epic pervading its backing harmonies and portions of its instrumental, or the tinges of electronic R&B influence in “With You”, one would be hard-pressed to describe Clark’s ongoing collaboration with Schuler as anything less than a continued success. The two offer themselves well to each other’s strengths in producing a catchy song time and time again, and the passion in Clark’s vocal delivery keeps it from sounding karaoke each go that he has at the mic.
This time around, Clark and Schuler decidedly settle on a bit of a folksy flair with “Your Own Way”, complete with an added banjo section over its outro and a call-and-response vocal delivery between himself and a gospel choir over its bridge. The clap-along song comes complete with a sinewy mix of instrumentation beyond just the trademark banjo, ranging from a soulful organ, grooving bassline, more brief tinges of electronic influences, a shaker, a drum kit, and an earworm of a repeated whistle. One might relate it sonically to something between Andy Grammer’s “Honey, I’m Good” and the overall Mumfordian portfolio, but to do so would discredit the high level of production and variance which Clark and Schuler actually have been able to create together.
In a subgenre often riddled with a myriad of exploits to bring as many one hit wonders to the top of the charts as possible as pop/rock is, Clark comes across as one of the few genuine articles in his lane that could readily find success in a crowded playing field. It helps that he’s found a fine partner in Schuler, but his singing these types of songs with an actual passion doesn’t hurt, either.