#reviewoftheweek / Will Hoge - Small Town Dreams

Will Hoge has recently been embraced by the country music scene, but that still doesn't mean that he's country. His music just connects well on so many different levels and with both country and rock music fans. Sure, some of his songs have been sung and popularized by country artists, but he's still a rocker from Tennessee. His latest album takes us into his life even more so than previous releases, with a full collection of story songs that bring vivid imagery, memorable characters, and Hoge's history to life. The first single "Middle Of America" is a song that remind you that most of the USA is rural small town America, and not big city lights and fancy dreams. It's the type of song that most of his fans (and for that matter any American) can connect to. "Guitar Or A Gun" is a poignant and relevant rocker that showcases the tough choices that the youth have to make through a simple story about a pawn shop purchase. "Growing Up Around Here" and "Little Bitty Dreams" are two more tracks, that like many of the songs on the album, are really just about home. Within each song you are instantly transported to the small town Hoge speaks of the in the title and are able to connect with the stories and characters and emotions that each lyric delivers.