Missouri-native Carter Hulsey is bringing his unique, yet familiar sound to the big stage with the release of his first album “A Note In Your Pocket.” The 10-track album, which offers a nice mix of Hulsey’s signature acoustic folk-style songs, showcases the indie songster’s twist on the popular acoustic rock norm.
Hulsey — who hails from the same hometown as acoustic pop artist Christofer Drew Ingle of Never Shout Never — released “A Note In Your Pocket” on Ingle’s label Loveway Records June 22. The label exclusively housed Never Shout Never’s three full-lengths before Hulsey’s March single.
His wayfarers and skinny jeans give the 20-something acoustic rocker a set image from the start, marketing him as one of Vans Warped tour alternative artists who just so happens to be picking up speed on the top music charts. However, Hulsey’s music does leave a little to the imagination, keeping listeners engaged with the versatility of his voice and sometimes quirky, oftentimes-honest songs.
The tracks on “A Note In Your Pocket” come straight from the pages of Hulsey’s day-to-day journal. As he shared as a guest on Ingle’s “The Dick Johnson Show,” each song lets his life and personality shine through, drawing listeners in with the likeable acoustics and not too dressed-up or overdone lyrics.
He succeeds at keeping his music personal, hitting a home run with “Like a Bear,” which sticks out as the soul-searching track of the album. Using metaphors of a bear’s hibernation cut short, a captain kept from sea and a soldier stuck in an unjustifiable war, Hulsey comes to the conclusion that “we are sinners and saints, you and I.”
The title-track, “A Note In Your Pocket,” does best at showing off the folk side of this acoustic rocker, giving him an unexpected, but promising edge. With all the focus set on a defining twang in Hulsey’s voice, the song breaks away from his accepted image, and shows a welcomed side of the up-and-coming artist.
Hulsey’s biggest downfall is trying to ride the bandwagon, and his intentional or unintentional slip into the safe, and already-been-done act. The March single “Black & Blue” falls into a familiar trap for soft and slow love songs and resembles a blend of Death Cab for Cutie and the early Jack’s Mannequin, minus the dramatics. Clearly made for the mainstream, it speaks highly of Hulsey’s vocals but fails to break any new ground on the alternative front.
He strikes a nice balance, between the tried and true and the tailored-fit, with “Good Time,” which stays simple, but pulls it all in with that folk twang. And, the album comes to an end on the perfect note with “Aleda,” which quite literally tells the story of a Buddhist woman he met in a Laundromat.
“A Note In Your Pocket” definitely starts Hulsey off well, setting him up with the appeal of the guitar-toting acoustic sensation, while keeping a strong sense of originality intertwined. Inspired by artists like Neil Young, Tom Petty and Ryan Adams, Hulsey shows great potential and offers a certain edge to the acoustic rock world.