Oliver Wood, the co-founding singer/songwriter/guitarist of Grammy-nominated roots trio The Wood Brothers, has announced the coming release of his debut solo album, Always Smilin’. Ahead of the album’s May 21st release via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers, Wood has also released its lead single, “Fine Line”.
While 2020 was a year of struggle for most, the album’s sunny title embodies the silver linings-guided nature of the project. “The year before the pandemic, people would come through Nashville where I live and I’d set up a co-write or a jam in our studio, just to do some stuff outside of my own band,” Oliver explains. “There wasn’t an album in mind. I just wanted to be creative. But when the pandemic happened, the songs started building up.”
Embracing the full range of Oliver Wood’s musical heritage, Always Smilin‘ builds upon the blues and gospel sounds he explored long before The Wood Brothers’ formation to the American roots music he’s been making during the past two decades. As a press release notes, “It’s an album of collaborations and communal recordings, spearheaded by a longtime team player who, for the first time ever, is making the final decisions himself. There will be more Wood Brothers music in the future, but this is an album about the present. An album about right now. And right now, Oliver Wood is smiling.”
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“You’d be surprised at the music you write and the chances you take when there’s nothing at stake,” Wood reflects. “The best art is an accident. You wind up accessing a different part of your brain and trusting your instincts, rather than relying on control. I’ve learned it would serve you well to be like that in everyday life, especially when you’re dealing with stresses and crises.”
The album’s various guests serve as a bridge between Oliver’s past and present. Featured artists on Always Smilin’ include mentor, co-writer, and King Johnson co-founder Chris Long, Wood Brothers percussionist Jano Rix, blues-rock powerhouse singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi (Tedeschi Trucks Band), acclaimed keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), and more while Rebecca Wood, Oliver’s wife, designed the album’s cover art.
For Oliver, the goal was simple: to collaborate freely with a mix of old friends and new partners, embracing a new level of independence. “I reconnected with John Medeski who produced The Wood Brothers first album,” he explains, “as well as my old friends Susan Tedeschi and Tyler Greenwell [of Tedeschi Trucks Band]. Those kinds of full-circle moments are at the heart of this record.”
He also got to reconnect with his King Johnson co-founder, Chris Long to write a new tune (“Face of Reason”) and further honored the band’s legacy with a new recording of “Fine Line”, a joyous blend of finely-tuned wordplay, sing-along melody, and upbeat, gospel energy pulled from the King Johnson repertoire.
“Fine Line” is available now on all streaming platforms. To pre-order your copy of Always Smilin’, the debut solo record from Oliver Wood, head here.
Oliver Wood – “Fine Line”
[Video: Oliver Wood]
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