Review: The Wood Brothers – Puff Of Smoke
The Wood Brothers – Puff Of Smoke
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Honey Jar Records
Release: 2025
Text: Pascal Wilhelm
A few years ago, I first read about The Wood Brothers in a blues magazine. A musician I know mentioned them as an inspiration in an interview. Out of curiosity I googled them and was completely blown away. The melodies, the lyrics, the singing, mastery of their instruments, the overall musicality, I liked everything about them. Still do.
This is one of the best bands that exist on earth. Period.
Last year August, I saw them play for the first time in the town where I live. I expected the show to sell out in minutes, but much to my surprise tickets didn’t go fast. It was on a Tuesday night, but eventually the show did sell out. Me and my wife went there together with a befriended couple. It was the type of show that I will remember always. Crowd and audience were one. Everyone hoped for their favourite song to come up and when it would, one would sing, cry, dance, it was mesmerizing. Being a Tuesday night, Oliver Wood (guitars and vocals) asked, jokingly: “Don’t you guys need to work tomorrow?” The crowd exploded, feeling utterly connected.
The Wood Brothers is a “progressive Americana” trio (Oliver Wood singing and playing guitar, Chris Wood singing, playing bass and harmonica and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix singing and playing almost everything) and this is their ninth studio album, which was highly anticipated. Their first album, ‘Ways Not To Love,’ came out in 2006 followed by thirteen (!) releases (live recordings, a cover album and studio recordings) which are all well worth listening to.
‘Puff Of Smoke’ is, again, a captivating masterpiece of a band that just bursts from creativity. Chris: “Over time, the diversity of things we can do has all become part of our language.” And: “What’s really fun about making a record with this band is that we actually have no idea how we’re going to arrange a song, or what instruments we’re going to play, when we get to a recording session.” Now, that is just magical.
What also strikes me repeatedly, is the wisdom in their lyrics. Of course, everyone will have something else that will stick in their minds, I’ll share you one of my favourites:
“Everybody is a little bit broken. But that’s alright” (from Kingdom in my mind; Little bit broken).
Tracks:
01. Witness
02. Puff Of Smoke
03. Pray God Listens
04. Money Song
05. The Trick
06. Is It Up To You
07. Above All Others
08. The Waves
09. Slow Rise (to the middle)
10. You Choose Me
11. Till the End
Website: https://www.thewoodbros.com/