CJ Hooper Is A Virtuosic & Seasoned Songwriter On ‘Urban Road’
CJ Hooper is the master of his own domain. Based out of Sydney, ‘Urban Road’—CJ Hooper’s new EP—is commanding in every sense of the word. With a penchant for engrossing storytelling and soaring harmonies, the seasoned musician has now come out in front.
When We Rise launches the EP, archetyping a dazzling and limber feel for the remainder of the body of music. The emotional impact on display is virtue to his skills both as a guitar player and songwriter. When We Rise, however, is a more laidback approach to Hooper’s guitar control, prioritising his vocal craft.
Burning Me Up and Highway 14 enhances Hooper’s ability as a bandleader. This symbiotic approach to song delivery enforces the group behind Hooper—he’s not a solo force. The former track is a country tale about solitary then finding a soul mate. His affliction to a burning flame—aka the soul mate—is entrancing and an enjoyable journey to travel on. Much like the whole EP, Hooper appears well-travelled and virtuosic in his songwriting.
Time is an affable way to close the EP. It’s Hooper at his strongest—as he ambles his way through his soft-spoken lyrics from beginning to end, placated to some stirring percussion work. He bolsters an easy-going mood with the sketches that fill in the blanks.
At its core, ‘Urban Road’ feels more like a country album, and not just because Hooper’s harmonising twang stands at the forefront of every track. The EP has a mischievous vanity, wrapped in the veil of a carefully crafted love song. Honesty and melancholy drip from its four-track stanza, reverberating in woozy country touches.
‘Urban Road’ shares the same loose-limbed affability and gentle spirit that filters though Hooper’s discography—a gentle spirit that evades frailty.
Stream ‘Urban Road’ below.
