Wooden Wand's (aka James Toth) collaboration with
the Sky High Band is such a far cry from his work with
the Vanishing Voice it's like night and day (although, according to one feature,
the Sky High Band is "a mish-mash of
Skygreen Leopards and
Vanishing Voice). Unless you know Toth's solo work you'd never suspect he has such a traditional folkie in him. Here the main reference is the
Woody Guthrie/
Bob Dylan lineage of agit-prop lament and dustbowl blooz. And while Toth's solo work can be tentative, the straightforward and strong arrangements here greatly benefit his slightly skewed yet standard folk tales of sin and redemption. As in his solo work, here on
Second Attention there is a prominent echo of
Leonard Cohen ("Hot Death," with its biblical references and apocalyptic imagery). There's a palpable campfire singalong in "Portrait in the Clouds" which would be equally appropriate for a dry-county revival meeting or a whiskey-drenched honky tonk. And he even allows us to see his tender side on the sugary love song "Sweet Xiao Li" ("no one kisses sweeter than ginger") and his fun side on the country rambler "Madonna" ("I drink the poison from your venomous thighs"). For ears more receptive to straight-up folk songwriting and with an aversion to "free folk" experimentalism, this is the
Wooden Wand album for you. ~ Brian Way