Letters To The West
Cedar Woods, 2023
8/10
An artist who grew up in rural Minnesota surrounded by rock’n’roll, show-tunes, pop and film scores, Skarlett Woods has much to talk about with this sophomore album, where she sings with much care and plays many instruments.
The bare and warm banjo of the brief “Overture” opens the listen and sets the tone for “Portland, OR”, where Kevin Bowe’s precise bass and Peter Anderson’s agile drumming suits the punchy folk-rock.
Deeper into the listen, Gregory Byers brings his violin, viola and cello to the intimacy of “Somewhere Between Stanley & Lotus”, while “Close To You (Braver These Days)” places Bowe on electric guitar, as Woods’ eloquent singing guides the soulful, powerful album highlight.
Residing near the end, “Somehow (Letters To The West)” comes with a distinct dreaminess that has Woods hitting some very high notes, and “Minnesota Farm Girl” exits with Tommy Barbarella’s B3 organ adding some punch to the frisky Americana.
Woods has lived a colorful life that includes biking 6000 miles across the country and living in a tiny home for 5 years sans running water, and those experiences help her carve out a unique place in folk music that makes this a charming effort.
Travels well with: Mae Simpson- Chandelier & Bloom; Leslie Vincent- About Last Night