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The incredible festivals, the relentless touring...it wasn't enough for
ekoostik hookah. The Midwestern do-it-yourself kings of rock have made a
career out of convincing their fans to expect the unexpected. In their new
studio album Ohio Grown, hookah has redefined all past expectations and
produced one the year's most interesting records.
Only the band's second studio release since 1997's Where the Fields Grow
Green, Ohio Grown succeeds on several different levels. As a collection
of songs it is hookah's best sounding and most cohesive effort to date. In
keeping with past releases, the band has effectively mixed a handful of
reworked classics from the catalog with a number of new compositions. Where
this strategy has failed for other performance-driven bands, it succeeds for
ekoostik hookah in illustrating the many facets that the band's music
displays. The selections do justice to the diversity that hookah employs,
while remaining true to the band's unique, organic sound.
The album also serves as a great commentary on ekoostik hookah's current
direction. While many acts in the "jamband" genre have lent themselves fully
to sustaining a danceable groove, hookah remains a musical workshop of
talented songsmiths that ply their craft with great skill and care. This is
not to suggest that the album won't have you dancing - it will. The
rock-country "Dragonfly" and bluegrass flavored "Deal With It" are
undeniable in their appeal. But as many of their contemporaries seem to have
abandoned substance in songwriting, hookah has maintained an intense focus
on perfecting the individual pieces of music. The yield is obvious and
plentiful on Ohio Grown.
In addition to "Dragonfly" and "Deal With It," the record's best surprises
lie within "Another You" and "Music." In "Another You," Ed McGee creates a
blues tapestry that could have tremendous crossover appeal - perhaps the one
accomplishment hookah hasn't enjoyed in its productive lifetime. While Dave
Katz's "Music" has long been present in the hookah repertoire, the Ohio
Grown version receives an infusion of new energy through a guest appearance
by the Tower of Shower horns. Throughout the album, ekoostik hookah manages
to translate the essence of their live sound without the product being too
obvious or forced. The songs are played with a patience and maturity
befitting a band in the prime of its musical life.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Ohio Grown is just how well
everything works. The album as a whole is a tremendous representation of
hookah's sound, and the new songs are indicative of the many styles
currently being fused by hookah in their performances. Within each track and
song-to-song there are wondrous flashes of brilliance, moments of sweetness
and ascensions to powerful heights that are familiar and comfortable but
also seemingly scrubbed fresh and clean. This album isn't just a collection
of live numbers recorded in a studio, and that's what makes Ohio Grown so
special.
Listeners familiar with the band will find the trademarks of hookah's sound
throughout Ohio Grown. Steve Sweney supplies guitar heroics aplenty in
typical Sweney fashion, and the signature interplay that makes the jams work
live is evident in every song. New and old fans alike, however, will
certainly enjoy the many surprises hookah has included in this release -
horns, violins, choral arrangements...this isn't your father's ekoostik
hookah album. And the clarity and crispness of the sound only amplify what a
gem this record really is. Expect to be moved, rocked and entertained,
sometimes all three at once. ekoostik hookah has finally made the album
they've always been capable of making.
***The official cd release for Ohio Grown will take place during hookah's
traditional Thanksgiving weekend shows at Cleveland's Agora Theatre on November 29th
and 30th. Ohio Grown is currently available for preorder at
ekoostik.com***
Todd Justus
JamBase | Mid-West
Go See Live Music!
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