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The Wood Brothers

Loaded

(Blue Note; US: 1 Apr 2008; UK: 31 Mar 2008)

One of The Wood Brothers is Chris Wood (of Medeski, Martin & Wood), but Loaded is an album of songs, rather than instrumental jams. The duo’s primary vocalist is other brother Oliver, who sings a lot like the weary Robbie Robertson of The Band. Coincidently (or not) The Wood Brothers also have a Dylan connection, as this disc includes a cover of Bob’s “Buckets of Rain”. A better cover song, however, is this pair’s version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel”, which is given an acoustic reggae treatment and features extra vocals from Amos Lee. One other special guest is Frazey Ford (of The Be Good Tanyas) who lends her vocal help to “Don’t Look Back”. The blues obviously had a large influence on this disc, as these siblings cover the traditional “Make Me Down a Pallet on Your Floor” and work up a fine head of bluesy steam with “Pray Enough”, which is especially fueled by producer John Medeski’s powerful organ. Best of all, there’s not even the hint of compressed fiber on this disc because Loaded is built with beautiful, all-natural wood.

Rating:

Dan MacIntosh is a freelance writer from Bellflower, California, “The friendly city”. He’s married with two children, two cats, one dog, one bunny, and one bird. He earned his B.A. degree in Communications (emphasis Public Relations) from California State University, Fullerton in 1986. By day, he works for a software company (Ah, but doesn’t everybody these days?), and in the evenings he works at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts where he is hardly recognizable in a suit and tie. He also dearly loves his church, Calvary Baptist Church, Bellflower, where he is a deacon, a praise choir member, and a small group leader. He also plays guitar, but mainly in the privacy of his home.


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The Wood Brothers - Luckiest Man (Live)
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