"When people hear my versions of pop songs, they're shocked. They never expect to hear Adele sound like that." Meet Solomon Hicks, the New York guitarist bringing the blues to a new audience

Solomon Hicks holding a guitar (studio portrait).

A 30-year-old guitar prodigy from New York who’s grown up in public, Solomon Hicks is still figuring out how to make the blues his own. On his second album, How Did I Ever Get This Blue?, he lets gratitude and good vibes do the talking, with a sound and style that is more about reassurance than revolution.

“I was exposed to so many genres,” he says. “In New York you can go uptown and hear organ trios, downtown and hear folk or rock, then salsa on the East side. That all shaped my sound.”