“I feel you, motion animal. I’m tired, you’re taking all control.” – Crash

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will have a new opening act this spring and summer, but a name — and voice — you will certainly recognize.

Crash will open for the Zeros on May 10 in San Francisco, as well as dates in Tulsa, Okla.,  Columbia, Mo., Nashville, Tenn.; and Minneapolis. The Louisiana native will be promoting his 11-track debut solo album, Hardly Criminal, which was released on Tuesday by ESMZ label Community Music. The album was produced by ESMZ guitarist Mark Noseworthy.

BestNewsBand.com described the album as “a tidal wave of emotion that appropriately crashes with a perfect balance of groove, shake, heartache, and soul.”

“Besides the apparent poetic and musical talent he showcases, perhaps the most intriguing facet of the compilation is the obvious influence from his Louisiana upbringing with a healthy dose of monster truck rallies, local rodeos, family bonfires, and his ole’ Pawpaw’s country band,” writes Ariala Kozin of BestNewsBand.com. “It is that foot-stomping, southern quality that brings the music to life and gives it such a uniquely familiar feeling.”

Hardly Criminal is available for purchase via ITunes.

ESMZ fans may recognize the album’s first single, the popular “Motion Animal,” which Crash often perform live with the Zeros. (“Go tell it on the mountain, that I’m moving, ’cause I’m on fire…”). From there, the album “takes a hypnotizing turn with an old school twang,” according to a review from BestNewsBand.com.

“By the album’s end, one can’t help but want to learn more about the story of this artist with an obvious fervor for all of life’s offerings — all of it’s ups and downs, and all while dancing to his own scruffy cool beats,” Kozin writes. “It is difficult to believe that such magical wisdom is only one chapter of Crash’s journey.”

Carena Liptak of AudioFemme says she is impressed with Crash’s versatility and ability to pull off “every style he ambles into on this collection.”

“Crash grew up in Louisiana, imbibing a country-fied blend of Americana, folk, and New Orleans street-performer blues, and he can do all those styles with equally endearing swagger…” Liptak writes. “His versatility looms large, and surprises again and again on this record.”