Adam Hood Finds His Different Groove
Friday, July 20th, 2007
| I can’t say honestly that I had ever heard of Adam Hood. But the first time I heard the first release from the Different Groove CD, 22 Days Too Long, I told myself I needed to find more of his music. This upbeat, twangy song, about missing his daughter already before he hits the road, includes excellent vocals and guitar work. He follows 22 Days with Shelly. After only two songs, I was getting the feeling from Hood that he writes from the heart and personal experiences. He paints a picture in his music. You can close your eyes and see the scene that he |  |
| sings about. Never Comes Easy is a simple, but pleasant song about the changes in one’s life and getting started in the industry, and how change never comes easy. In Cars, Trucks, and Me, Hood sings about being on the road and how eventually every city and every highway looks the same. While everybody else is impressed with where he’s been, he isn’t impressed because he’s just passing through. He never gets to see the attractions. I’m not crazy about the tempo, but I’m really digging the lyrics. It’s a nice reminder that the life of entertainer, while appearing glamorous, isn’t always what people make it out to be. Buzzes Like Neon is a pretty weird song. I’m not really even sure what it’s about, but it’s got a nice rhythm to it. You probably won’t catch me singing along with it, or even admitting that I like the song. Probably the low light for me on this album is Fool Of An Honest Man. It’s a bluesy song about a cheating woman and how he keeps giving and giving. I’m not sure what it is, but it seems like every album has one of these songs. You listen to it over and over and you just can’t get into. This is that one Adam Hood song for me. On the title track Different Groove, Hood sings about sitting on the front porch searching for his groove, playing the same chords over and over looking for a different groove, “that makes me smile.” Late Night Dinner is another song that Hood paints a picture of the scene so well that you can almost see it. This song is flat out honky-tonk and you won’t hear this on any Nashville commercial radio. But it’s excellent work. A trip to Louisiana for a show inspired the Cajun heavy “Varnado”. Hood co-wrote this song with friend Justin Johnson. It sings about a bad experience in the swamplands of Lousiana. This song has a fun beat to it, and I can see the dance floor filling up for this one. I could just as easily see it being played in a small down hayride or howdown. The alum’s final song is Whole Town Talking. This is a very powerful song and may actually be Hood’s best song. At least lyrically it might be. “It’s a little bit hard to take, when the heart she left to break has got the whole town talking about me” is just heartbreaking and strong. I’ve read comparison of Adam Hood’s sound to Bruce Springsteen. I’m not sure I would go quite that far, but he is certainly worth a listen. I thought he sounded closer to Eric Church, which still isn’t a bad comparison. Especially since I think Church sounds a lot like Springsteen too. Adam Hood brings something different to the table with his music. Some guys have it, and some don’t. Hood his it. Most of his songs sound as if he is writing an autobiography of himself in his music. Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t, but if he can make the listener feel like he is reflecting on his own experiences, and a lot of them, the listener can relate to, then he’s got them. And he’s got me. I highly recommend Different Groove from Adam Hood. And I’m really looking forward to seeing him in person. |
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