Adam Hood

The American South has a long history of serving as a fertile breeding ground for singer/songwriters who instinctively meld the various musical elements of their environs. Alabama native Adam Hood carries on that tradition. Like a really good gumbo, there are a lot of subtle flavors mixing together in his personal brand of Southern music – blues, folk, country, rock – all wrapped around lyrics that sound too insightful for someone his age. “DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks Hood’s first effort for Little Dog Records and his full studio album.

A true collaborative effort, Hood found a musical kinship with Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison, k.d.lang, Sara Evans, Buck Owens, Flaco Jimenez, Michelle Shocked) and entrusted him to help capture the spontaneity and compelling nature of his music within the parameters of a recording studio. In the end, they decided the only way to accomplish this was to cut the basic rhythm tracks live, pulling together some of the most soulful roots players in Los Angeles. Starting with this musical “roux,” Pete went on to add further seasoning to get everything just right. The results are obvious – this is a “deep” and riveting work, harkening back to the raw musicality of early recordings by Bob Dylan, The Band, and even Al Green. A listen to “DIFFERENT GROOVE” is like a study in Southern roots music in a modern context. Check out “22 Days Too Long” with its driving beat and greasy slide work. “Car, Trucks and Me” takes the listener to church with its Gospel-tinged vibe. “Varnado” explores Cajun country while “Late Night Diner” is a country rock gem. “Fool of an Honest Man” would make a Stax Records fan proud. “DIFFERENT GROOVE” truly delivers the goods.