With one brother a member of a blues band and the other part of an edgy jazz ensemble, no one would expect any release from The Wood Brothers to be a generic one.
So, their second CD Loaded (Blue Note) blends Oliver Wood’s weary, anguished leads and Chris’ dense, booming acoustic bass and lets them set the agenda on a program that continually changes musical gears.
There’s sweltering soul (“Lovin’ Arms,” “Still Close,”) blues laments (“Postcards From Hell,” “Twisted,”) country-flavored pieces (“Loaded,” “Walk Away,” “Fall Too Fast”) and one classic rock song reconfigured as a reggae tune (Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel,”) that also has a guest vocal from Amos Lee and sizzling organ from John Medeski, the keyboard and organ member of Martin, Medeski and Woods. He doubles as the producer here, and Billy Martin’s the drummer on several cuts, most notably the update of “Make Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor,” “Angel” and “Walk Away.”
Despite keeping the selections short (none longer than five minutes) and also mostly focusing on collective interplay rather than individual musical flash, the Wood Brothers still manage to nicely converge multiple idioms on Loaded.
Guitarist Dale Miller covers even more genres in his solo guitar showcase Time Goes By (Dale Miller Productions). In fact there’s really nothing in the American music pantheon that doesn’t get covered here, from Tin Pan Alley and early pop to delta blues, traditional jazz, gospel, bop, rags, country, folk, even an occasional original or two (“Blues In The Square Root of Two,” “Falls The Shadow”).
Some of his interpretations are quite interesting, particularly his renditions of “Blue Monk,” “Glory of Love” and “Birth of The Blues.” Miller also covers several Beatles’ tunes, with “Can’t Buy Me Love” being the best of these, followed closely by “Love Me Do.” He’s an excellent acoustic player, and he doesn’t depend on speed or technique alone for effectiveness.

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