We Live on Cliffs
We Live on Cliffs is the debut studio album by singer/songwriter Adam Stephens, vocalist and guitar player for San Francisco, California's folk rock guitar/drum duo Two Gallants. "We Live on Cliffs" was released in September 28, 2010 on Saddle Creek Records. The album is credited to "Adam Haworth Stephens" and was produced by Joe Chiccarelli. Background. Two Gallants had been touring almost non-stop for six years, since forming in 2002 until taking a hiatus starting in the summer of 2008. During that time the duo also recorded and released three full length  albums as well as an album-length EP. The stress of touring with seemingly non-stop van breakdowns, recording sessions, and countless interviews tired the band out both mentally and physically. Stephens and fellow band member Tyson Vogel each decided to focus on other work, with Stephens pursuing a solo album and Vogel collaborating with some string players on an instrumental project called Devotionals. Critical reception. "We Live on Cliffs" received mixed reviews from critics. Jessie Cataldo of "Slant" criticized the album as being formulaic, stating, "The focus here is crystalline, immaculately styled country—slow, pretty songs fleshed out by  female backing vocals. At worst, it’s an album full of half-cocked Ryan Adams impressions, digging into an antiseptic style that sounds cheesy even when Adams attempts it." Cataldo as well as Alex Henderson of "AllMusic" and a review at "Sputnikmusic" all discussion the album as attempting to sound Dylan-esque, and failing to live up to such a high standard for Americana music. Despite the criticism, Cataldo and Henderson did make note of Stephens' potential as a songwriter and solo artist.