Aug. 08, 2012 - Issue #877: Corb Your Enthusiasm
We Were Born to Glory
Royal Wood {recordings_bands_mg} We Were Born to Glory {/recordings_bands_mg}
Maple Music,
2
Royal Wood is the sort of guy who always seems in control. Always impeccably dressed with a voice to match, and with songs loaded with melody and thought, Wood makes music that sounds as though it's been crafted rather than simply poured out onto the page. The talent is there, and has been well-represented on past records, but on We Were Born to Glory it feels as though Wood has pulled back and retreated to a safe musical pasture. With every instrument note-perfect in its performance, the whole album comes off as too restrained when Wood might have been better served by a little edge. There's so much control in the man's own performances that a slightly tougher recording might have provided some balance. As it is, there are few surprises to be found: every sound and phrase falls into place so perfectly that the ear is anticipating them before they float gently out of the speakers, and it all gets a little heavy. Still, there is a little bounce to the album in the strummed folk-pop of opening track "The Thick Of It" and in the detour through '80s-like pop on "I Want Your Love" and "When the Sun Comes Up," and Wood is always dependable when it comes to building a melody. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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