With a background in movie soundtracks, it's no wonder this poetic composer's sophomore album LeaveTaking is a cinematic success. Peter Bradley Adams, formerly of eastmountainsouth (a catchy Americana duo consisting of him and Kat Maslich), is an Alabama native whose musical history has taken him full circle around the US.

After getting his start in the southeast, Adams hit the far west, residing in Los Angeles while making music with eastamericansouth and putting his prose-writing skills to use on movie sets (eastmountainsouth had a notable song on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown).

After splitting with Maslich and starting his solo career, Adams boomeranged back east -- now residing in Nashville, where he produced a second record of soothing ballads. A vocal virtuoso with a composer's intuitively instrumental ear, Adams' lineup of smooth, sometimes moody songs is particularly arresting.

The name LeaveTaking apparently stemmed from a line in a Mark Strands poem, "The View" ("he's always been drawn to the weather of leavetaking"). But trivia aside, one listen to this album and you'll know you're in the company of a talented poet.

Themes range from subtle romance (not too sappy, and always endearing) to tributes to his geographical past -- as heard in the appropriately titled track Los Angeles , which boasts the lyrics "oh Los Angeles we leave you now at the setting of your skies / as we leave the comfort of your ground with your angels we will fly." And the closing track, Song For Viola , leaves behind all vocals and lets the viola take the spotlight in a strictly instrumental number.

Adams' angelic voice and pleasant pianism make for one eloquent and sophisticated second album.

Additional Tracks:
The Longer I Run
Always