Events

[ROCK] As an offshoot of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, one would expect the Wood Brothers to let loose a bit from their contained rootsy folk, and with 2015’s Paradise, they did it. At least a little. Last year’s One Drop of Truth continues that trend, serving a freed-up feel that can only come with the sort of group chemistry that builds over time. In this case, they purposefully shook it up, self-producing for the first time and recording in spurts over the course of a year in various Nashville studios while also employing four different mixing talents to handle the finished songs. Curiously, the results aren’t dramatically different, which isn’t a bad thing. But there’s a sense of ease—swagger, almost—running through Drop that makes for the most pleasurable listening of the half-dozen albums the unit has made since frist emerging in 2005. While writing credits are split evenly, it’s likely that vocalist Oliver Wood developed most of these narratives, veering from stories about Mother Nature to ones about human nature and linking the two in clever ways that reveal his imagination. Water, both as a reality and as a metaphor, recurs throughout, even seeping its way into the title. Wood Brothers live shows tend toward a jaw-dropping skill-set display and, after a string of dates opening for Tedeschi-Trucks Band last year, these guys should be limbered up for some fine performances. Catch them at Town Ballroom on Tuesday, January 22 with singer-songwriter Priscilla Renea in the opening slot. Renea has a ton of pop and R&B co-writing credits to her name, keeping her busy enough that nine years passed between her Capitol debut and her new indie release, Coloured.