Chris Wood's new album sees him team up with a handpicked small band consisting of cello, percussion and trombone - it's an adventurous mix that works superbly and adds creates a subtle sound unlike anything that's gone before. It's all held together by Chris' rich vocals and stunning guitar work, but the addition of the instrumentation marks gentle but progressive step forward from his previous solo albums, and really adds character to the stories and scenes in his songs.
As ever, he’s an uncompromising writer who tackles subjects head on and from a different perspective than almost any other songwriter around – his trademark political songs are here as ever, but they’re balanced out by a number of personal songs that are as beautiful as they are tender.
While the guitar work and vocals are strong, the band subtle and accomplished the main attraction for any Chris Wood album is his ability to connect with the listener – he celebrates the ‘ordinary’ in his songs with situations and narratives that no other songwriter would even consider.
Amongst the standout tracks, the beautiful sentiments in ‘Two Widows’ make it a show stopper, and the playful ‘My Darling’s Downsized’ brings a light hearted element to the album, but the centrepiece is ‘Hollow Point’ an epic song addressing a recent news story, it’s a song that makes an big impact on first listen through, so try not to read too much about it before you settle down to listen for this first time.
‘Handmade Life’ is beautifully packaged with a massive 20 page booklet featuring lyrics and some striking photographs, and this just adds to the overall quality of the whole album. One of the most compelling albums in recent memory, and an album that deserves to be heard.
Track listing
1 No Honey Tongued Sonnet
2 Two Words
3 Spitfires
4 My Darling's Downsized
5 Asparagus
6 Hollow Point
7 Caesar
8 Johnny East
9 Turtle Soup
10 The Grand Correction
