Will Wood defies any normal categorisation. The Aucklander grew up playing classical violin and piano, and singing in choirs, before he got stuck into the drums and guitar.
He's drummed for a wide array of local acts, from punk to country, and now he's released his own debut, which proves he's a talented songwriter.
The album opens with Wood by himself on guitar, harmonica, and vocals on Heartstrings, and slowly proceeds to add players and instruments, until there's all sorts of strings, horns, and percussion on the stunning One Night Stand ballad, and the album finishes with the raucous hoedown title track.
The arrangements are top-notch - from gentle slide-guitar to flickering drums to driving bass, and some nicely smoky vocals from Reb Fountain are a perfect counterpoint to Wood's own resonant croon, particularly on the hit-in-waiting Sick Of It All.
But the reason this album stands out, is Wood shoots so straight from the heart with his lyrics. He's a storyteller rather than a poet, and he's not afraid to lay his personal heartbreak out for all to see - albeit with a dark sense of humour.
