REVIEW
Adam Hood - Different Groove
by Keith Howerton
(Oct 2007) Although Different Groove is Adam Hood’s third project, it is the first one that has high quality fidelity in the technical aspects of the recording. Produced by famed producer Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison) and released by Little Dog Records, Different Groove is a first class record by one of the most distinctive voices in Americana music.

In many ways the record is a freshman project from a guy who has been making waves in Texas, Oklahoma, and the Americana world for a couple of years after starting his musical career in early 2001 in Alabama, where he still remains very popular. His songwriting has garnered a cult following of fans from across the South and the world to the extent that most observers would believe his has 6 or 7 records to his credit.

Different Groove is the natural extension of the buzz Adam Hood has created among serious fans over the past few years. The ten tracks on the record are pure Adam with soulful and groovy tunes that keep the toes tapping and heads nodding with serious lyrics and hooks that illicit thought and reflection.

The brilliance of Adam Hood isn’t in his complexity, but, rather, in how he can be complex with natural simplicity. Different Groove is part R&B, part country, part rock, and all Adam. All the songs are Adam originals and reflect his own distinctive style of songwriting. Adam’s style of writing is clearly best when he pens stories of personal relationships and tales of the road. His songs speak of life and are heavy without being too serious. It is feel-good music without being cheap or cheesy.

All the tracks on the record are solid and worth a listen but notables include “22 Days Too Long," “Buzzes Like Neon," “Fool of an Honest Man," and the title track “Different Groove."

Another significant standout is a story of every hard working touring musician titled “Cars, Trucks, and Me." “These interstates, they all look the same, from California to Tennessee…it’s always Cars and Trucks and me” could be the anthem of any touring band who put on the miles in a van with a trailer banging around from town to town for a few hundred dollars a night. Adam struck a chord with that tune. It is a keeper.

In all, the entire project is a superb effort from a songwriter with truly a different groove that hopefully will last for years and years to come. What we all need next is a live record to capture the true Adam Hood vibe. Maybe he will read this and give us just that.

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