Its pretty awesome when something totally unexpected drops into your inbox. This certain something is a nice little duet from Gordon Wood and Katie Thomas, entitled Crazy 'Bout You Just The Same.
So what's it all about. Well, Crazy 'Bout You is a rootsy laid back ballad that comes out in the new year, on January 3rd to be precise, and having taken several listens to the track, I get the feeling that it could have come from another era altogether. It certainly has the feeling of a bygone age, a much simpler time, which is very refreshing in 2022/23.
So what do I mean by that. Well, music production in 2022 is very much about layers of music, layers of samples, ear candy and everything that producers think a listener wants to hear, squeezed into a 3 minute song. But sometimes, the simpler things in life sound just as sweet to the ear.
If you take a listen when the song comes out, you will hear it for yourself. It has none of the trappings of "modern production" with all the samples and layers of nonsense that producers have at their disposal these days. Its a good honest song played by real musicians and that's exactly how it sounds too. Listening to the track, it felt that I had found myself in a basement club, watching and listening to a 5 piece combo on darkly lit stage playing for the sheer pleasure of playing music. Its just feels so organic, especially the violin solo in the middle of the song. Quite delightful.
There are notable instrumental credits too on the track, these include Gordon Wood himself on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and bass with Katie Thomas duetting on lead vocals. The rest of the musical talent is as follows: Jack Penny on electric guitar; Sam Draper on violin and Paul Arthurs on drums. The track was written by Gordon Wood and it was produced by Martin Mitchell and Gordon Wood.
Recorded by Martin Mitchell, Instant Music, Cheltenham, Glos - Rick Paris, NASHVILLE CALLING, December 2022

GORDON WOOD and KATIE THOMAS - CRAZY 'BOUT YOU JUST THE SAME (Single)
Rootsy singer-songwriter Gordon Wood marks out some new and engaging musical territory with his latest release, Crazy 'Bout You Just The Same.
Not only does he surprise with some old-timey country swing (for the first time if this reviewer’s memory serves him well), but also with a duet with honey-toned chanteuse Katie Thomas – a piquant salt ’n’ sugar pairing if ever there was one! The contrast well suits the back and forth ‘can’t live with you, can’t live without you’ banter of the lyrics.
There’s also some sprauncy fiddle from Sam Draper, bringing a tasty new flavour to Wood’s already varied repertoire. And, with Wood on acoustic and bass guitars, Jack Penny on electric guitar and Paul Arthurs on drums it all adds up to a cool collaboration which I’m sure listeners will want to be hearing from again without delay. - Geoff Ward (freelance journalist), November 2022

I’m night driving. Over my shoulder, there’s a yellow moon on the rise. It’s a meandering country mile. For company, I slip a disc into the dashboard player . . . and there’s that fugitive midnight voice, the tone shifting, now cajoling, now plangent, then demanding, then placating . . .
He sings powerfully of aching hearts, madness, strange feelings, the ill-fated, the lonely ones, false alibis . . . yet there’s the sense of outlaw romance and resilience, of ‘no surrender’, in the dynamics of the songs. He might be a friend of the devil but you’d sure like him on your side in a tight corner, when your back’s against the wall.
There’s a rocking beat, twangy guitars with rousing riffs, a punchy bass and a rasping harmonica. This is edge-of-the seat, bubble-in-the-chest music. And it comes straight out of the golden years of rock and pop.
I realise that, maybe coincidentally, but perhaps significantly nonetheless, all four songs I’m hearing have a night-time theme, and three have a star, or stars, as a multi-layered trope, alternatively figuring bad luck, hope in adversity and cosmic duplicity, drawing me deep into the possibilities of parallel worlds.
Well now . . . best keep my eyes on the road and my hands upon the wheel!
Spirited singer-songwriter Gordon Wood always has an urgent and intense tale to tell, and the proof is here again in this mettlesome EP named for the opening alt-country track, Just Another Star-Crossed Troubadour. We’re also given the instantly involving Sweet Angel Eyes, the small-hours discomfiture of Out of My Mind and the dreamy allure of The Girl with the Stars in Her Eyes.
Wood, playing acoustic guitar, bass guitar and harmonica, has assembled a cracking combo with Guy Mansfield-Smith on electric and classical guitars, Paul Arthurs on drums and Phil Hambling providing backing vocals on Out of My Mind.
Geoff Ward (freelance journalist), September 2021

The inimitable singer-songwriter Gordon Wood always manages to gather about him seasoned and aspiring musicians to help capture his unique vision – in the case of this sampler, ten sympatico sidemen, including a number of long-time collaborators familiar with both his live and studio work.
This collection of eight of Wood’s songs, available on CD and online, showcases a characterful artist who happily sails the cross-currents of Americana, blues, rock and even seminal Britpop – from the sub-Beatles excursion (mystery tour?) of And The Sun Will Shine and the evocative Woodstock atmosphere of Out of My Mind, to the rootsy shake ’n’ shuffle of the worldly-wise Long Hard Road (To The Promised Land).
Recorded during the last two decades, these slickly produced tracks (all with videos at YouTube or at gordonwoodmusic.com) demonstrate both versatility and diversity, refreshingly united by an integrity of approach that’s capable of writing over the labels and sustaining lyrics full of neat allusions to Wood’s favoured musical genres.
Except And The Sun Will Shine, which was released as a single, the tracks are taken from three different EPs.
Let’s look at what else we can sample here. Run Johnny Run, an ideal opener, combines spirited, bluesy rock with a rousing country workout featuring banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Midnight Rodeo gives country rock an earthy twist, exemplifying Wood’s artful strengths as a lyricist in a song notable for the sly appeal of its euphemistic theme, and there’s even crafty homage to the Beatles’ ‘Nowhere Man’ in Phil Bird’s mandolin breaks. So Long Blues gives us Wood’s own brand of bruising ‘bluesabilly’, followed by Sweet Angel Eyes which, with its can’t-get-it out-of-your-head hook, driving guitar riff and harmonica backdrop, has the hallmarks of a rock ’n’ roll classic.
Wood’s uncompromising, arresting vocals make you sit up and take notice of the raw emotion, the plaint and the soul power that’s gone into these compositions. Take a look at the Links page on Wood’s website where some of his favourite artists are listed – Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Rolling Stones and the Beatles among them – and you’ll see where he comes from musically and inspirationally, where he got his impeccable credentials.
Better still, listen to this sizzling sampler – perhaps ideally in the ‘twilight hours when shadows fall’ (Graveyard Blues) – and HEAR where he comes from! Loud and clear. - Bob Southern (writer and journalist), May 2021

Straight down the line, honest-to-goodness blues blockbusters comprise the tracks on this latest E.P. release from seasoned UK bluesman Gordon Wood and slick stringster Phil Bird. Sometimes in predatory mood, sometimes cajoling, but always convincing, the incomparable Wood growls and rasps his way through four new songs, two of them co-written with guitarist Bird.
The opener Highway Blues, structured over a powerful, archetypal riff, has a noticeable nod to Dylan's early and recent blues modes. Wood's sometimes quirky but heartfelt lyrics reflect the existential crux so favoured by blues singers as he ponders the elusive vanishing point of indecision symbolised by the CD cover’s artwork. Next up Honey, You're Still on my Mind has a laid-back country blues feel with appetizing moonshiner vocals from Wood, and Bird rolling out a ruminative slide guitar. Gonna Make Her Mine is a sassy southern-fried shuffle, while Do You Ever Get Lonesome charges up the dynamo again with a surefire bar-room shakedown.
Two bonus tracks present beefed-up 'electric versions' of the last two numbers, and raise things a notch with Bird on drums as well as acoustic and electric guitars: Gonna Make Her Mine gets the gut-bucket approach with a real sneaky snare beating up the backdrop, and Do You Ever Get Lonesome receives a dose of Texas thunder to round things off in style.
Wood, who plays acoustic guitar and bass, buttons up the blues like a favourite old overcoat. Bluff but inimitable, and steeped in the tradition and its timeless themes, you really feel he does get lonesome when the sun goes down. This is classic blues which proves the resilience of the genre and its generous response to fresh and authentic interpretations such as this. All tracks were produced jointly by Wood and Bird, who have worked together for many years, and recorded by Bird at his Birdsroost Studios in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. - Geoff Ward (freelance journalist), August 2012

GORDON WOOD and PHIL BIRD - HIGHWAY BLUES (EP)
This 'six-tracker' is a reworking of an E.P. Gordon put out in 2009. There are three tracks from the earlier CD plus three new tracks. Gordon sings and plays rhythm guitar whilst Phil plays lead guitar. The first four tracks are acoustic with the last two being electric versions of two of the numbers.
The CD opens with the title track which is a classic road song, good guitar here. Honey, You're Still On My Mind has good lyrics and tasty slide guitar and is a cracking song. Gonna Make Her Mine is a bouncy up-tempo number, again with good lyrics. There's more good guitar on Do You Ever Get Lonesome. These last two songs get the electric treatment with the latter being the better of the two. Gordon's gruff vocals work well with this material. Phil's guitar is good particularly on the acoustic tracks and the electric versions are sufficiently different to hold the attention. - R. Jim Greaves, BLUES IN BRITAIN MAGAZINE, April 2012

(1) What can I say other than this is a very good E.P. Gordon Wood’s vocals are fresh and raw, Phil Bird's guitar just has this rocking but bluesy acoustic vibe which is warming and very welcome to my ears. Highway Blues is the stand out track - the opening riff gets you up from your seat and dancing. The lyrics are very good, honest and from the heart. There’s not one bad thing you can say about the whole E.P. This may only be four tracks long but if you love your acoustic blues then this is one not to be missed. Very good and highly recommended. Leaves you wanting more.
'The Rev', BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE, August 2010
(2) Gordon Wood comes from the Gloucestershire area and sings and plays guitar. He is joined on this four-tracker by guitarist Phil Bird who handles lead guitar duties. Gordon has been around for a while and his influences come not just from the blues but also country, rockabilly and americana. The music here is a mix of blues, roots and americana and is acoustic rather than electric. Three of the four tracks are originals.
The title track, an original, gets things underway and is in a stomping down home blues style with a "Walking Blues" riff and good lead guitar. Honey, You're Still On My Mind has good lyrics and is delivered with a gruff, whisky soaked voice and some good slide guitar to boot. Do You Ever Get Lonesome is a chugging rocker, which uses more standard blues style lyrics. The CD ends with Willie Dixon's I'm Ready, which was the least convincing performance. The originals are all well 'in style' and Gordon has a good gruff vocal delivery. Phil's lead guitar fits in well and the two guitars mesh well too. There's plenty of energy here and I guess this is a good act to catch live.
R. Jim Greaves, BLUES IN BRITAIN MAGAZINE, June 2010