Joolie Wood - Tales of Colour and WhiteFor around twenty years Joolie Wood has been multi-instrumentalist with Current 93, yet Tales of Colour and White represents her first ever solo offering showcasing her talents as songwriter and musician. Aided by members of the Current 93 extended family, and released over a year ago on Simon Finn's label, the four tracks offer a brief overview of her musical vision dipping into acoustic folk, neo-classical and improvisation.Gently introducing the EP is 'Jewel Song', a soft reverberating atmosphere that gives way to a tranquil stringed section derived from mandolin and violin. It's followed by 'You Own The Universe', a gentle ballad featuring Joolie's hauntingly vulnerable voice over some fine finger picked guitar by Simon Finn, and tumbling piano notes from Maja Elliot. The croaky spoken voice of Karl Blake shadows Joolie's singing voice over the acoustic strum and piano score of 'Where All The Flowers Grow'. There is a fragility to the music that suits her voice. Still her distinctive flute and violin playing on these two tracks can't escape comparison with her work with Current 93 and specifically her contribution to Thunder Perfect Mind. Karl Blake's soaring electric guitar figures prominently on the final track, 'Melt With The Snow', slipping away at times to let the violin lead the melody. That too gives way to allow her voice to nestle amongst a beautiful setting of harp, acoustic guitar and a tumbling piano score. It's the finest of the brief set of tracks, merging passages of classical instrumentation with electric guitar improvisation. Tales of Colour and White is an all too brief introduction to the work of Joolie Wood. Limited numbers from the original run of 500 are still available, while Joolie continues work on her full-length debut album. For more information go to www.tentoonerecords.com or www.myspace.com/jooliewood |