“I want to shock people,” says Solomon Hicks with a megawatt smile. And whether you were there at his barely legal teenage club shows, caught on for 2020’s breakout debut Harlem – or are hearing him for the first time on new album How Did I Ever Get This Blue – the rebel energy of this acclaimed New York singer-songwriter always moves the needle. His new songs race from earworm originals, past pop covers torn up with electronica and punky riffs, to reignited blues standards that prove how potent this genre still is in the right hands. “With this new record,” reflects Hicks, “I wanted to showcase where my ear, my head and my guitar playing is at right now…”