Artist: Woodale
Album: Hotel
Label: Unsigned
Purchase: Woodale Merch
Release Date: February 12, 2006
Overall: 8.0
Music: 8.3
Lyrics: 7.7
Production: 8.0
Pop rock is the new in vogue, but you don’t have to tell Floridaâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s Woodale that. With a streamlined harmony-driven sound via Waking Ashland meets The Fold, their tight melodies and choral-styled love verses could warm even the most cynical of hearts. If teenaged girls aren’t already eating this stuff up, come six months Woodale will be a household name. The bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s five song EP, Finish What You Start, is the year’s new I Am For You, meaning now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.
Initially guitar-oriented, tracks soon fall away into more mellow instrumentationâ┚¬Ã¢â‚¬bright keyboard melodies, warm piano cadences, and plodding bass lines. These elements help to craft the background of the EPâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s true selling point: its vocals. While the lyrics never delve past the romantic clichés of young love, frontman Matt Wilbur executes these lines with such palpable emotion that the affect lies in the delivery rather than the prose complexity. Meanwhile, simple harmonies and layered choruses fill out the remaining Woodale sound, making for a very subtle, yet lavish experience. The opening track â┚¬Ã…”Hereâ┚¬? is prime example of the kind of pop-accessible audience Woodale appeals to.
Albeit two solid starting tunes, Finish What You Start, does come off as a slightly flavorless effort. The hooks are abound, but the formula has been pulled off too many times to do justice for Woodale’s talents. When they release a full length down the line, I expect it to be a much more sophisticated album, one that boasts an identity that is uniquely Woodale. Collectively, the group already has all the elements of a great band; they just need to work on nurturing a trademark sound. Still, at 3 bucks a pop at the Woodale merch store, Finish What You Start is a steal considering its stellar musicianship and elegant pop sensibilities.
Track Listing:
1. Here
2. Listen For Me
3. She’s Got A Way
4. Baby, I Can’t Wait
5. Keep Driving
Standout Tracks:
“Here”, “Listen For Me”
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