Once in a while you stumble across a musician that really surprises you. Maybe it was the venue, maybe it was the headlining act, or maybe it was the sea of leather jackets and tattoos in the crowd, but I was a bit surprised (in a good way) when I accidentally heard Tyler Hilton play at Slims in San Francisco a few weeks back.
Tyler Hilton isn’t your typical “rock star†personality. Coming off as a little over polished in many ways; it’s as if he was manufactured for Hollywood. In fact, he’s dabbled in acting as much as he has in mainstream music but, hey, sometimes you got to play all the angles. If you know him at all, you probably know him from his role on “One Tree Hill†where he played a troubled singer named Chris Keller, not to mention his role in the film “Walk The Line†where he plays a young Elvis Presley.
I speak of Tyler as if he’s new to the world of music, however nothing could be further from the truth. He has said that he started writing songs at the early age of 13. He even received his first major record deal by the time he was 18 with Maverick Records after a chance appearance on a local radio show.
Tyler typically writes and performs love songs, so it’s clear that he knows his market (women and girls). Most of his tracks follow a catchy yet predicable pattern that would fit well in any top 20 countdown. In many ways he resembles a slightly younger version of John Meyer, or the slightly older version of Ryan Cabrera.
So keep your ear to the ground for Tyler Hilton in the near future, and when you start hearing him on the radio just remember that “I told you soâ€. In my opinion, he has all the trimmings of a solid pop-star act: catchy love songs, a marketable image, and a footprint in television and music. He was even voted as one of People Magazine’s most 50 beautiful people in 2005, which means he’s bound to sell a few records on “curb appeal†alone.
In August 2010 Tyler Hilton released his most recent EP titled “Ladies and Gentlemenâ€. The full length LP will be out later this year and titled “The Storms We Shareâ€. Here’s the track list for the new EP:
Track Listing:
- Sunset Blvd.
- I Believe In You
- This World Will Turn Your Way
- Keep On
- June
