Every morning when he isn’t on the road, Oliver Wood starts the day in his designated writing chair with a cup of coffee. Many of the songs from “Fat Cat Silhouette”, Wood’s second solo record, began taking shape in that chair. The contemplative feeling of meditation/prayer and a morning coffee is what sets the mood for the songs on this album. This is a reflective and thoughtful project. Produced by his Wood Brothers’ bandmate, Jano Rix, the album maintains its coherence throughout. I imagine that is intentional, because you are dealing with an artist that has so many influences and diversity of training. However, conceptualizing and assembling a multi-faceted talent like Oliver Wood into a single project must take a calculated sense of purpose. Fortunately, for those of us on the listening end of this project, the process worked. What we are left with to enjoy is an innovative and uncomplicated slice of Roots Rock ingenuity.
As an example of the ingenuity mentioned above, the album opens with ” Light and Sweet” which is the result of a phase of listening to different African Music and how trance-like it can feel. “Little Worries” is another song that has an International music influence to it. Wood’s personal favorite song on the album comes next. “Grab Ahold” was written with Seth Walker, whose album he played it on years ago. I have seen Seth play live and I must say this is a great reimagining of the song. “Yo I surrender” is my personal favorite on the record. Idiosyncratic guitar collaborates this with Jano, and baritone sax player Steve Berlin (from Los Lobos) to create a quirky vibe together. An album with this type of breadth would not be complete without bringing in a songstress to round out the project. Oliver wood accomplished this by bringing in one of the new bright lights in Americana, Katie Pruitt, on “Have You No Shame”. “Fat Cat Silhouette” is a relaxed yet rewarding listen. This is not background music. It demands your attention. So grab your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy.
About the author: Chip and his family live in Birmingham, AL. Roll Tide!