Always Smilin

Description

Oliver Wood is a mainstay of modern-day American roots music. The frontman of the Wood Brothers since 2004, hes spent the 21st century blurring the boundaries between folk, gospel, country-soul, and Americana, earning an international audience and a Grammy Award-nomination along the way. Always Smilin, his debut as a solo artist, continues that tradition while also shining new light on Olivers sharp songwriting, savvy guitar chops, and a voice that evokes the swagger of a Saturday evening picking party one moment and the solemnity of a Sunday morning gospel service the next.

Always Smilin is an album of bridges, mixing a wide range of collaborations with a uniquely personal touch. Guests include bandmates from Olivers musical past and present, from mentor and co-writer Chris Long (who performed alongside Oliver in King Johnson, the roots-rock band that dominated Atlantas music scene around the turn of the millennium) to percussionist Jano Rix (Olivers partner in The Wood Brothers). Blues heroine Susan Tedeschi, Hiss Golden Messengers Phil Cook, Medeski Martin & Woods John Medeski, Tedeschi Trucks Bands Tyler Greenwell, Nashville staple Phil Madeira, and singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton also make appearances, with Rebecca Wood Olivers wife handling the albums handmade linocut cover art.

For Oliver, the goal on Always Smilin was simple: to collaborate freely with a mix of old friends and new partners, embracing a new level of independence.