Fancy Hagood -- American Spirit
Fancy Hagood delivers songs of love, grief, and desire with a honey-sweet voice that reminds us to savor the good stuff – and the bad stuff is only temporary.
Fancy Hagood has been teasing us all year long, but at last he's released American Spirit, a sublime follow-up to Southern Curiosity. Hagood has run the gamut of the industry, from his roots in Bentonville, Arkansas to making a go at pop music in LA, Hagood has embraced his country sound and queer Southern imagery on American Spirit.
"Isn't That Life" with Michelle Branch is delivered with a sense of wry amusement and a catchy hook that calls to mind Elton John. The title track, "Americana Spirit," is as tightly written a song as you'll find, the one-liners tumbling out of Hagood with the exhilaration of new love. Meanwhile, "Navy Blue" is a fantasia of unrequited love, shimmering strings, and hypnotic grooves.
There's a smooth self-assurance throughout the album. It's not the same thing as your typical overly slick Music Row production; rather, Hagood has achieved a blissful blend of country sounds and his pop music training. These are songs with gorgeous, flowing imagery about lost romances, grief and spirituality – and getting down with the type of guy you just know is bad for you. Hagood delivers these songs with a honey-sweet voice that conveys all these emotions with a placidity that reminds us to savor the good stuff – and the bad stuff is only temporary.