| About Ellis Hooks Music | Soul singer [ Ellis Hooks ] expands his range. - Former Sam Cooke-soundalike Hooks adds some different shades to his sound on this new CD, his fifth, and a return to the label where he began his career. Though Hooks has retained the same producers (the same team as his other four albums, the great John and Sally Tiven) and pretty much the same core group of backing musicians (also the Tivens) he has changed his style from the smooth balladry and soft soul of Cooke to a harder edge shouting style typified by Wilson Pickett and Howard Tate. Hooks’ gruff Pickett-like ‘man-and-a-half’-isms are made all the more interesting due to the fact Hooks’ career pretty much began after the Tivens discovered Hooks while the husband-and-wife team were producing the sessions for Pickett’s final album in 1999. Knocked out by Hooks effortless, soulful style, The Tivens knew their next project after finishing the Pickett album was to produce something on this new singer they’d found. And they did. After several albums on Evidence featuring Hooks’ homages to Cooke vocally and musically, Hooks moved to the Artemis label for another album which sounded pretty much the same as his other work. Though it is no little feat to emulate the spirit, vocal inflections and mannerisms of Cooke, the lack of originality on Hooks’ albums left something to be desired. For every great stride Hooks made in his career, there were nothing but comparisons by critics and music fans instead of listeners being wowed by originality. And, as pleasing as Hooks’ albums were, there was always an underlying disappointment at Hooks relying too much on the inspiration of his heroes instead of finding his own voice. And by voice, I mean style, as the man’s vocals themselves are beyond reproach. His control and tone are magnificent and when he lets loose he can best any male singer working today. It’s just, for a while there, Hooks was treading water with his approach. Thankfully, all that has changed with this album. In his choice to go gritty, Hooks has made an effort to distance himself from the Cooke comparisons and take his vocals wide open. Though not a total original statement, as his vocals will no doubt meet the same comparisons from other writers as I am giving, Hooks has gone a long way to show people he’s not just a one-dimensional artist. One important aspect I feel Hooks can improve upon is his lyric writing. Though obviously heartfelt and impassioned, his lyrics often contain cliches that are beyond tired. While these sort of lines may be typical for a simple soul song, one can only hope Hooks will also find a lyrical style that compliments his efforts in finding a new voice. Fans of soul music are going to love this CD. With Hooks showing a lot more depth than before and the music itself becoming a lot more grittier, this album features the best aspects of what people remember about late ’60’s soul music. There is a definite danceable groove flowing throughout this CD, broken up by a smattering of ballads where Cooke’s influence is evoked but to a lesser extent than Hooks’ previous efforts. Hooks is finally starting to find his own voice right now and this seems to be the first in a line of exciting albums he will be creating. Soul fans better pick this up. Betsie Brown |
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