Most Promising Debut of 2004

Author's Rating:

Pros: Happy realism. Nice beats and lyrics that are witty. Wonderful singing voice

Cons: Would have like to see more intricacies in piano melodies.

The Bottom Line: 
Buy it for the unbeatable combination of depth and youth. Every old soul will feel young and the young ones will identify with the experiences that shape us.

Author's Review
To be completely honest right off the bat, I immediately dismissed TH as another John Mayer Knockoff to begin with. The hair, the eyes, the obvious marketing as a teen heartthrob. And yet, there was something in those deep blue eyes that piqued my interest. So, after looking at the album a number of times at Target I downloaded two songs: Glad & When It Comes.

It was lucky I chose those two, because they are the best tracks on the album. The perfect mix of melody, lyrics, and rhythym. I eventually caved to my overriding sense of guilt for downloading stuff that I would be willing to pay for and ordered the album "The Tracks Of".

The album is a remarkably strong debut for a new artist. No slick overproduction, no obvious filler songs, it is obvious that Hilton put a decent amount of effort and time into each song that made the cut. It is unusually genre-bending, Hilton effortlessly switches from laid back country (Rollin' Home), the blues (You, My Love), to old style Elvis (Glad). It is no coincidence that he was chosen to play Elvis in the upcoming Johnny Cash biopic, he is both a dead ringer in both looks and style.

Not only does he draw from various genres, he fuses them to create a unique sound of his own: a sweet blend of country melodies, bluesy lyrics, and that driving rock rhythm. The combination creates what can only be described as good music.

Tracker Teresa