Simon RushworthSong
Driftin’ And Driftin’
Artist
Solomon Hicks
Solomon Hicks backstory
Born in Harlem in 1995, Hicks owes a wide and varied musical education to his mother.
Exposed to everything from hip-hop to Barbara Streisand and George Benson to Neil Diamond, the budding musician initially favoured Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher.
But Hicks quickly blended all of the above and more to craft a sound rooted in rock, soul, funk and blues.
Teenage clubs shows created an underground buzz before breakout 2020 debut Harlem ensured a generational talent finally caught fire.
Hicks continues to mix earworm covers with well-crafted originals — ripping up the rulebook and rewriting history.
In Solomon Hicks’ own words
“There’s a live video of Paul Butterfield singing this with Mike Bloomfield and David Sanborn playing horns.
“With the [original] horns, it’s very classy, almost like Count Basie or Frank Sinatra’s big band.
“But it wasn’t until Kirk [Yano] and I started playing the song on the road that it evolved into something heavier, with almost Led Zeppelin-ish guitar.
“After hearing a lot of people play that song, nobody has this type of sound.”
The verdict on Driftin’ And Driftin’
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band may well have popularised Driftin’ And Driftin’ back in the late 60s.
But Solomon Hicks’ pulsating take on a regretful tale breathes new life into a stone cold blues classic.
There’s something about the meaty guitar tone that elevates Driftin’ And Driftin’ to the next level — adding significant heft to the forlorn narrative.
And it’s easy to understand why Hicks and buddy Kirk Yano heard something of Jimmy Page in their brand of instinctive heavy blues.
Ironically there’s no coasting on Driftin’ And Driftin’.
Hicks keeps everything tight, on track and terrifically tense.
What’s next for Solomon Hicks
How Did I Ever Get This Blue? is released via Artone/Provogue on Janaury 23.
Hicks plays a brace of dates in Florida during February with more shows set to be added soon.
