Saturday, May 19, 2018

Hood Smoke - Cannonball Porch (EARS&EYES RECORDS)


Bridging both genres and generations with original music steeped in the history of its influences, Hood Smoke’s sonic narrative illustrates timeless stories using beautifully simple melodies set to a rhythmic foundation built firmly from the bass up. 

Since the release of their debut album, Laid Up In Ordinary (2012), Chicago’s Hood Smoke has continued to narrow the gap between retro and modern sounds in a unique and sincere way. 

The band is a tour de force whose past and present members have performed with Quincy Jones, Earth, Wind & Fire, Koko Taylor, Rhymefest, Nick Lowe, Chris Thile, and Umphrey’s Mcgee. 

With their second album, Regular Neurotic (2014), the band began its collaboration with producer and engineer Anthony Gravino. The record’s anthem “Never Suffering” gained the band recognition from American Songwriter and the Chicago Sun-Times declared Hood Smoke a “must-see act.” 

With their third release Rough Around The Hedges (2016), which Newcity described as “whip-smart jazz-funk-fusion” whose “lyrics are top-notch throughout,” Doherty proved his prolificacy as a composer and lyricist. 2016 also marked the band’s first national tour as they wooed audiences at large rock festivals and intimate jazz clubs, alike. 

The band’s fourth album Cannonball Porch (2018) showcases Doherty’s vulnerable and melancholic voice on what he promises to be “the most simplistic, lyrically creative, and to the point” Hood Smoke album to date. 

1. Storybook 05:24
2. Porcelain Flowers 04:43
3. Blue Janie 03:57
4. Seneca Lake 03:08
5. El Salvador 03:39
6. Feel Lost 04:07
7. Crackerjack 04:51
8. Easy To Obsess (So Much Of One) 04:44
9. Depending On The Fool 03:29
10. Off Clouds 04:18