Always a gifted songwriter, Adam Hood’s never sounded this vibrant nor have his songs been as consistently strong as they are on The Shape of Things. The sonic sounds on the record recall classic tunes from The Band or Robbie Robertson’s solo songs (“Gonna Take A Woman” and “Hell of a Fight”) to Will Hoge (“Tennessee Will”) to modern country band Eli Young Band (“Flame And Gasoline”). The thing that helps keep these songs from feeling like Adam ‘copying’ other artists is that soulful voice that showcases a man who could and should be household name ‘cause there is a mixture of blue-eyed soul with a little bit of grit and edginess to it.
There’s not a bad song on this album and the title track, “The Shape Of Things” feels like it could compete with any mainstream country act with a hook that is as classic as the steel-guitar laced melody. Without out a doubt, though, the best song on the record is “Moving Mountains.” It’s a great showcase for everything I’ve said about Adam above and it tells a story of a man who knows that he’s gotta move on from his relationship with a woman because they’re just two different types of people, one who she has to be the life of the party and to “Move mountains one way or another and I’m living one day at a time.”
Another pair of standout tracks are “Hard Times” and “Deep Ellum Blues” that showcase that Hood’s learned a thing or two about the blues while living and touring Texas the past few years and certainly aren’t too far removed from the great songs that John Hiatt and Delbert McClinton have made over the years. The record closes on a supreme high note with “I’ll Sing About Mine,” a song which discusses how many songs on country radio talk about things that the singers never have lived and that gets to the core of who Adam Hood is as an artist. He wants to sing songs that are true to his own experience and that’s exactly what he does on The Shape Of Things, Adam’s debut for the Carnival Recording company.
Do yourself a favor and go out and get a copy of this album, you’ll be glad you did.
Buy: Amazon mp3 album
Listen to "Flame And Gasoline" from this album.
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