Aaron Wood
Aaron Wood
www.aaronwoodmusic.com
With elements of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and The Rolling Stones, Aaron "Woody" Wood has done something amazing with his self-titled album – he's transcended them all. Not to say he's "better" than these legends, but rather...he's picked up on their heart, on their ability to convey unique stories and on their ability to write timeless pieces of music, and he's painted over them with a musical color all his own. For a "skinny white boy" as he calls himself on his website, his voice is not only incredibly solid, forceful and wise, but contains a powerful amount of soul (usually only heard in funk, gospel, R&B and of course, soul) that seems to come effortlessly. This is most definitely a rock album, but Wood puts forward a fantastic vocal vibe reminiscent of Al Green or even a little bit like Gnarls Barkley's Cee Lo Green. As good as the songwriting and performances are on this album (and they can be best described as "ear candy" – and I mean that as a huge compliment), the production value is absolutely stunning. I've heard a lot of great albums from Asheville-area musicians, but I don't think I've heard a local album that sounds as good as this one. So deep and layered, it begs to be blasted at full volume. The folks at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville have totally outdone themselves with this one. I'm going to sit my band down, let them listen to this CD, and use it to convince them we need to record our first album at Echo Mountain! Aaron Wood has created a work that he should both be very proud of, and expect to be a hit. I know I'll be putting it into heavy rotation for weeks to come.
— Brent Fleury
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