Wandering Minstrel brings together all the strands of Roots music on one magical album
Woody Pines is/are a singer/band that has criss-crossed my musical path a few times in the last few years yet I’m still lost as how to describe them; even more so on this, his/their fourth album, RABBITS MOTEL.
In theory Woody Pines is a troubadour, in the spirit of Woody Guthrie, travelling across America with just a Resonator guitar as company; but Woody Pines is so much more than that in real life as he is augmented by a variety of other musicians here and there and the finished article on this album certainly sounds like a proper band to my ears.
The Louisiana born singer switches styles at will and opens RABBITS MOTEL with a toe-tapping Country-Blues; Like I Dowhich gets the party started in a glorious manner.
I loved Train That Carried My Gal From Town as soon as I heard it, as the Resonator guitar and harmonica are both delightful and timeless as Woody sounds like Willie Nelson singing a Johnny Cash Song in a 1930’s Alabama Juke-Joint.
Love The Way My Baby starts with some rolling organ and a tsch-tsch drum beat followed by Woody going into Urban Blues mode creating a sound that could have been recorded in 1950 but sounds as fresh as a daisy today.
My favourite song on RABBITS MOTEL is Hobo and His Bride which is a simply beautiful tale full of hope, romance and despair with Pine’s eye for detail in the shadows of these two characters lives basically breath taking.
I don’t begin to understand Addicted to Blood one little bit; but just love the rockin’ beat daddio. Roots music just doesn’t get any better than this; especially the tricky guitar fills and those funky organ solos.
The album finishes with a delightful song, that has echoes of a child’s evening prayer; Close Your Eyes and Dream is played on the banjo and guitar with Woody; again sounding uncannily like a young Willie Nelson and I can’t think of a better way to end a record.
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=546892527/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/
The Rocking Magpie 