Sam Hooper Group

With four CDs released on the FBJoy Records label, singer-guitarist Sam Hooper, who grew up in Shaker Heights, has assembled a significant discography. His songs have been featured on the daytime TV dramas All My Children and The Young & the Restless. The guys in his band are no slouches. Guitarist Mike Null is a multi-instrumentalist musician and singer who's toured the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. They originally met in 2010 while playing in Shanghai to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the House of Blues & Jazz. Produced by Hooper and Null and recorded by James Kananen in Cleveland at Bad Racket Studios, Hoodoo Blues, a new EP from Hooper and Null, features a classic blues sound. A song like "Messin' with the Hook" thrives on a terrific mid-song jam punctuated by some back and forth between Hooper and keyboardist Sakait Baksar. And Null delivers a gritty mid-song guitar solo too. Mixing and mastering was handled by India.Arie producer/engineer Jim Lightman at JL Productions in Nashville. It's a solid effort. (Niesel)