[5] He released his second CD, Poughkeepsie, in 1998, which was described by Kristy Martin of the magazine CMJ New Music Report as "a sparkling demo of smart wordplay and pop sensibility.

[6] The album featured drum and instrument programming on the songs "City Lights" and "My Best Friend" by Jason Heinrichs, also known as Anomaly.

[11] Hicks has also released three albums with backing band Small Screens: 2021's Accidental Birds, 2022's Airport Sparrows, and 2024's Modern Flora.

4 on his list of the best 2024 albums by Minnesota artists, saying that although "the arrangements can be quite elaborate and the solos ingenious, the melodies are often straightforward, as largely improvisational musicians adapt their chops to a pop context without significantly simplifying their styles.

"[15] Reviewing the song "The Unicellular Spore", Mpls.St.Paul Magazine wrote that "Hicks is a genius at crafting astute lyrics that bend the mind and expand the reality in front of you.

[10] Courtney Algo and Lit Lyfe wrote in the Twin Cities Daily Planet that "fans of Hicks and rapier-sharp prose will find a great delight in Boarded Windows.

New York Times reviewer Courtney Maum said that Hick was "winningly deft with language" but felt that the novel's themes were unclear.

"[20] Kenyon Review's Michael Magras called the book "witty and perceptive" and "a droll commentary about ambition among the would-be literati.