The Wood Brothers have a new release One Drop of Truth (Honey Jar Records) and it’s a wonderfully pleasant gift for Americana fans. Brothers Chris (on bass) and Oliver (on guitar) together with Jano Rix on drums and other instruments. This album displays the wide range the Wood Brothers can achieve, and that mix of song styles at different tempos really creates that kind of holistic album listening experience that sometimes is amiss in contemporary music production.
Each song tells a story and there’s an excellent range of styles. In order to emphasize the variety they’d come up with for this project, the Wood Brothers checked into a few different studios in Nashville to create a sampler of different sounds. Then they hired some of the best mixing artists in town, pairing their strengths with each song’s musical style. Grammy award winning Trina Shoemaker, who has worked with Brandi Carlile, was commissioned to mix five of the songs. Then, old friend Scotty Hard mixed “Happiness Jones” and “Sky High,” a match made in funky heaven. Mike Poole mixed “Sparkling Wine” and “Strange As It Seems.” Brandon Belle worked his magic on “Laughin’ Or Crying” and the result is an overall exquisite music lovers’ buffet.
“Sky High” is an Americana Jimi Hendrix groove track, “something about the lows tell the highs how to be.” Opening track “River Takes the Town” is one of those songs destined for greatness, from the catchy shuffle beat to the way you can hear each pluck of the stringed bass. “Happiness Jones” highlights some Hammond B organ. “Strange As It Seems” is a serious acoustic lullaby. The album is really astounding, you must buy your copy immediately, here.
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