ACL Preview – The Wood Brothers

I have selected the Wood Brothers as my next ACL artist to highlight.  The group is made up of actual brothers Chris and Oliver Wood.  They grew up in Colorado where they both fell in love with music, but as they got older they went their separate ways. Chris headed Northeast to Manhattan where he eventually wound up in the successful jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood.  Whereas Oliver went south where he fell in love with blues and began writing as a part of the band King Johnson (named after Freddy King and Robert Johnson).

In 2005, the two brothers decided to join forces to create music that has “a rootsy feel that blends blues, folk, and rock music in a guitar/bass duo.”  The Brothers recently released a mini collection of cover songs, called Up Above My Head.  The album features the brothers playing some of their favorite artists such as The Beatles, Steve Earle, Beck, and The Allman Brothers. Truthfully I was a little disappointed by the record.  Which I shouldn’t be surprised by, because what I love the most about them is their songwriting style.  They have just a great airy blues feel that Amos Lee fans will definitely fall for. Here is one of my favorite tracks off their lates full-length, Loaded.

The Wood Brothers – Lovin’ Arms