The concept of one-man bands screams "novelty." Like children, they're something to be seen but not heard. While it's a simple, fleeting pleasure to watch someone pound a drum with his feet, strum a guitar, and blow on a harmonica all that the same time, it's more often a feat of weird synchronicity than great musical expression.

Hasil Adkins is a one-man band, but on What the Hell Was I Thinking, that novelty becomes charm as Adkins plays through a collection of blues numbers that take you on a trip through trailer park country. He sings about ugly women, being so poor he can't afford shoes, and how all those ladies in his life are gonna miss him when he's gone.

But while these country songs are old-fashioned, the blues side of Adkins is less traditional. It sounds more like Satan and Adam, which makes perfect sense when you consider that Satan (Sterling Magee) also plays guitar while he drums.

For the bulk of the record, Adkins just picks at a guitar and bangs on a tambourine and drum. Sometimes he shows off with a harmonica, too. But the focus certainly isn't on his playing; it's on the faithful treatment he gives to soulful blues and country. And if a close listen reveals that Adkins has taken on too much, relax. You're missing the point.

-James Coyle