Thursday, October 4, 2007

Voice of the Seven Woods - Self Titled

Voice of the Seven Woods
Voice of the Seven Woods
(08.2007, Twisted Nerve)
8.0/10

Voice of the Seven Woods is the alias of English guitar maestro Rick Tomlinson. This self titled debut release has been a long time coming as Voice of the Seven Woods has seen its named tagged on a seemingly endless array of limited edition CDrs and 7” vinyl releases to this point. Tomlinson’s guitar skills are on par with contemporary fret bogglers such as Sir Richard Bishop or James Blackshaw, yet on his debut Tomlinson has side stepped the standard acoustic noodlings of the genre and created a multifaceted tapestry of grooves and techniques that seem to travel a world of cultural influences with a healthy dose of psychedelia. Tomlinson has a knack for carrying his pieces only as far as they need to go, never overstaying his welcome with endless ruminations on the same idea. This ability almost comes as a necessity seeing as how many wonderful ideas are bursting out of this album. Tomlinson even lends his voice, successfully, to couple of songs like the majestic “Silver Morning Branches” and album closer “Dusk Cloud.” Voice of the Seven Woods is a classic in a genre that is often more tiring than it is rewarding. It’s an enchanting debut that will extend far beyond the stoned pretenses of its bohemian trappings.

-Mr. Thistle

Voice of the Seven Woods - "The Fire In My Head"