Will Hoge succeeds, and occasionally stumbles, because of an obvious belief that the only bad emotion is the emotion left unexpressed.

On Draw the Curtains , Mr. Hoge's first release for Rykodisc, he uses the full breadth and depth of American music -- soul, blues, rock and country -- to color a collection of barroom ballads and roadhouse rockers about love, life and the moments when each gets in the way of the other.

It's mostly an exhilarating experience, reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen and The Band, with perhaps a touch of Van Morrison, for flavor. A skillful songwriter, Mr. Hoge writes inspired, emotional couplets that pair perfectly with a soaring chorus or subtle hook, and delivers them with conviction and honesty.

On tunes such as Washed by the Water , a gospel-inspired, still-standing anthem inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the end-of-a-relationship honky-tonk dirge Dirty Little War , his singing and songwriting model serves him well.

On occasion, though, it comes back to nip not-so-nicely at his good intentions.

The thing with attacking a song with the sort of passion and ardor that Mr. Hoge clearly feels for this material is that it's easy to become melodramatic and overwrought. Mr. Hoge, a performer with real taste, mostly manages to avoid that pitfall, so occasions when he missesjust enough become too obvious and uncomfortable. On Midnight Parade , for instance, the vocals have a tendency to stray into territory that nearly becomes caricature, soulful for the sake of being soulful rather than serving the song and the message.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.