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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.  

Hood has already built a strong following by touring nearly 300 days a year.  Recently, he has been a regular opening act across the country for the legendary Leon Russell.  He has also opened shows for such artists as Pat Green, Todd Snider, Delbert McClinton, Dave Alvin, Ian Moore, and Shelby Lynne, among many others.  Hood is constantly in the Top 50 on the MySpace independent Acoustic, Country and Folk Charts, with nearly 1,000 plays each day on his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/adamhood).  Additionally, a number of Hood’s songs from his EP “6th Street” have been licensed by Yahoo! and pre-loaded on millions of Dell computers.  His song “Million Miles Away” has recently been released as a single by Texas artist/Nashville Star finalist Shy Blakeman.

All of this is a result of a single-mindedness and commitment to his art from an early age.  Having taken up guitar at the age of 10 in his hometown of Opelika, Alabama, he started performing in church bands by fourteen.  Two years later, he quit the football team and became a regular on the local music scene, performing gigs at the area’s restaurants.  Hood laughs, “I found that I could either make money playing music, or sit on the bench.  It wasn’t a tough decision.”  

After high school, Hood decided to put music aside in lieu of stability and a “real job.”    It quickly became apparent that he could not divorce himself from his musical muse.  “I moved to the ‘big city’ -- Montgomery -- and tried to do the ‘right thing’ and go the nine-to-five route.  But the music proved too powerful for me to fight.  Eventually I gave in and moved back to Auburn near my hometown.   I haven’t looked back since then.” 

In 2001, Adam recorded a demo of his songs, which circulated among Auburn University students and quickly created a demand for a full length CD.   Hood began to save money from his day gig as a land surveyor, eventually using the funds to record and self-release a live album, “21 To Enter.”   Soon after, he hit the road full time to support his album and further hone his music. 

Traveling as a solo artist with just his guitar, Hood began to gain a reputation as a modern-day troubadour, often playing twenty-five shows a month.  “This was my real schooling.  When you’re traveling and performing by yourself, it forces you to become completely self-sufficient, both emotionally and musically.  It forces you to grow quickly.”  

In 2003, he met up with fellow Alabama musician Justin Johnson who had played in such bands as Wayne and Secondhand Jive.  Hood saw Johnson as a kindred creative spirit and soon headed down to his studio in Birmingham to demo some new songs.  The two also began to write music and play shows together.  The Johnson-produced tracks were eventually mastered in Birmingham’s Syncromesh Studio by Jason Elgin (Wayne, Collective Soul, Secondhand Jive) and became the basis for Hood’s EP “6th Street.”   “6th Street” quickly garnered critical acclaim.  Gritz wrote, “Adam is a true artist on the verge” while Texas Troubadours magazine claimed that “Hood has a knack for creating music that hits the deepest part of one’s soul.”  An Honest Tune advised readers, “’6th Street’ is enough to signal the arrival of a new voice.” 

Last year, Hood had a chance meeting with Pete Anderson, who was out on tour with another Little Dog recording artist.  Expains Anderson, “We were in Little Rock and had just done our soundcheck.  We were getting ready to go back to the hotel when I suddenly heard this amazing voice coming from inside the venue.  I walked in to see who it was and there was Adam onstage just killing it.  I was even more impressed when I found out he had written the songs.” 

Anderson asked Adam to come out to his studio in Los Angeles to spend some creative time together.  By the time Hood left, they had decided to make a record.  “I really spent a lot of time getting this record just right.  There is a raw beauty in Adam’s music and I wanted to be sure we could capture that, taking it from just Adam and his guitar to a full band sound.” 

“DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks a major leap forward for Adam and his music.  “Till now, I have been on this journey mostly by myself.  Working with a real musical partner like Pete has allowed me to push myself into new musical territories and challenge myself to grow as an artist.  I am really proud of this record.   Now where’s my van?  I’m ready to hit the road.”

Different Groove