I Think It’s Time
Sweet & Salty, 2018
9/10
A North Carolina resident and multi-instrumentalist, Greg Hawks may not be a name most are familiar with, but if you spend some time with his eclectic brand of alt-country, even if just a brief spin, I Think It’s Time could make anyone a fan.
Hawks starts the album with the warm and playful sounds of “So Lonely”, where the country and folk ideas are mixed together fluidly, and “I Hope I Never Know” follows with breezy melodies in timeless appeal that brings to mind The Jayhawks or Tom Petty.
Further along, “Nothing Matters Here Anymore” flows with a soulful quality amid the rootsy delivery, while “Pretending Not To Know” offers an emotive and restrained display of strong singer-songwriter prowess in the reflective atmosphere. “From One To The Other Extreme”, one of the album’s standouts, then finds a very Nashville-esque place to reside with its rural melodies and southern influences.
Late in the listen, “It’s Going To Be Okay” gets dreamy with strings in attendance, and “Another Possibility” closes out the listen with a shuffling pace of honky tonk nods in a instantly memorable display of rustic beauty.
A record that was penned during Trump’s time in office, Hawks offers insightful wordplay about social/political topics, and his music bridges the gap between his early years with country, as well as his teenage punk interests, in a formula that might be pretty common in 2020, but that few will ever present as well as Hawks.
Travels well with: 3 Pairs Of Boots- Gone South; Dearling- Silver And Gold