feature photo: Shervin Lainez
After laying low with new material throughout the pandemic years (with one notable caveat), the Wood Brothers reassert themselves as one of the finest current practitioners of Americana music. Heart Is the Hero (Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers) makes it studio album #8 for guitarist/lead vocalist Oliver Wood and bassist/vocalist Chris Wood, with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix rounding out the group for most of their existence.
Americana music is by definition closer to the folk, country and blues roots of the early- and mid-20th century than other contemporary music forms, but Heart Is the Hero sees the Brothers make that connection back even stronger than they usually do. Recorded in analog and without the studio meticulousness that’s marked some of their prior sessions, Heart Is the Hero has even more immediacy from a band that really never lacked that. I didn’t hear a single plugged-in instrument until maybe the fourth track, and sparingly the rest of the way. However, their songwriting remains as stellar as ever, singing songs of personal searching, hope, optimism and down-home philosophic waxings with harmonized choruses that stick with you long after the listen. In short, they do everything well, and always has.
It starts with musicianship, which becomes more important as there’s less reliance on technology that can cover up the blemishes. Rix and Chris Wood put together a tough beat that’s like rocket fuel to “Pilgrim” as Oliver Wood moans and holler with ease. They go rural and all-acoustic (again) for the Dylan-esque “Heart Is the Hero.” “Far From Alone” is just as rustic but there’s an organ and horns that swell up at the right times.
Chris Wood’s pipes aren’t on the level of his brother, but his singing positively shines when put in the right settings. That’s certainly the case for the gospel-tinged “Worst Pain of All” where he’s convincingly preaching by the end of the song. His other vocal showcase comes on “Mean Man World” (with Oliver on acoustic slide) framed by a tinkling, barroom piano.
“Between The Beats” (with Chris Wood delicately sawing his bass) feels so intimate, and Oliver Wood could very well be singing only to the person listening as he murmurs, “A heart beats just like footsteps/with a quiet between/There’s a road that leads to a moment/And another to a dream.” A lightly-applied Fender Rhodes and a small horn section adds a little bit of soul to the otherwise folksy “Rollin’ On.” A Southern church organ is opted for during “Someone For Everyone,” bolstering Oliver’s testifying.
While they earlier asserted that the “heart is the hero” of every song, “Kitchen Floor” fittingly ends this program by again inserting the human spirit directly into music: “if I left my soul in song for you, would you sing it sometimes when I’m gone?” An accordion adds a touch more poignancy to Oliver Wood’s wearied but quietly affecting vocal.
Coming out of trying times, something new from the Wood Brothers might just be what we need. Then again, any time is a good time for this trio, and their extra-rootsy Heart Is the Hero satisfies the soul whether it needs uplifting or simply maintaining the high.
Heart Is the Hero is now available for sale at all the usual outlets.
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