CD Woodbury – World’s Gone Crazy | Album Review

CD Woodbury – World’s Gone Crazy

Self-Release – 2020

www.cdwoodbury.com

13 tracks; 57:55 minutes

Singer, songwriter and blues guitarist’s CD Woodbury’s self-produced second album the World’s Gone Crazy is aptly titled for our times. This album represents the diversity of CD’s blues talent and influences, featuring eight original tracks and five covers spotlighting his full-throated voice accompanied by his talented band the “Kings of Beale Street.”

Favorites of the Pacific Northwest’s blues scene, CD Woodbury and his band have made their mark at the 2014 and 2020 International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis representing the Washington Blues Society. On his own CD has 11 Best of the Blues awards from the Seattle based Washington Blues Society, performed for two US presidents, played Jimi’s music for the Hendrix family, backed numerous one-off performances with artists like Wee Willie Walker, and Sugaray Rayford.

On the World’s Gone Crazy all the band members sing vocals and have a chance to musically solo and shine. Patrick McDanel on bass guitar has played with artists that include Mel Torme, The Temptations, Steve Miller, The Four Tops, and The Mills Brothers to name a few. Mike Marinig on keys and horns is a local Seattle who  joined CD at the 2020 IBC. On drums, Don Montana is a well-respected member of the NW blues community, having appeared with Mitch Woods, John Nemeth, Charlie Musselwhite, Tab Benoit, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Ronnie Earl and Bob Marley’s Wailers. All are seasoned musicians who have won awards in their own right.

CD puts a special twist on all the songs that proves tasty and fun. Each song has its own character and the album tracks merge nicely for a listening experience that makes you feel like you are at a show in your local blues club. And there is a spontaneity to the songs that feel more like a jam than polished sets, possibly because the album’s tracks were laid down in two days.

In fact the first cover song on the album, Willie Dixon’s contemporary blues classic, “Wang Dang Doodle,” captures the mood of the album which promises a good old fashioned Saturday night filled with drunken revelry.

“Follow the River Home” opens he album with a four-part a cappella vocal, that feels like you are listening to an old-time spiritual, perhaps “Go Down Moses.” But the song swiftly takes a turn into raucous blues number with a hot sax and lead guitar bridge about a man leaving a lady by putting on his walking shoes and following the river home.

“Walk Around Music” is a sexy, slinky, jazzy and sounds like an old vinyl record from the 40’s with a touch of blues guitar, accompanied with a personal note since CD is a large man. The lyrics paint the picture of what it would be like to see him perform.,”Cause when the band is thumping, …, I have to move my big body around.”

“Can’t Eat That Stuff No More” humorously tells the story of CD being told by friends and doctor to go on a diet or he’ll be pushing up daisies. He walks and talks us through his cardboard-tasting, mail diet, his weight watchers experience that “all adds up to CD is fat” and finally his slim fast diet that he supplements with ice cream and Kahlua.

A shout out to his Seattle roots would not be complete without a Jimmie Hendirx song. CD’s take on “Hey Jo” is a mature and melodically rich version highlighting his lead guitar talents with a mean sax solo.

CD’s original “World’s Gone Crazy” is a contemporary companion piece to Joe Louis Walkers 1998 “The Preacher and the President.” Both paint the picture of corruption and greed in the world. Joe Louis Walker’s lyrics note that the preacher and the president make the same empty promises to acquire money and power; CD’s view is that the news is the “Same old story told for a thousand years …. The Worlds gone crazy and I’ve gone crazy too.”

Both songs have great blues beat, voice, guitar leads, rhythm, bass and drums. “The World’s Gone Crazy” wraps up the first eight originals and “The Preacher and the President” wraps up the album. Joe Louis Walker’s version of the song is epic and the lyrics are clearer than CD’s version. So if you get a chance go listen and compare! CD’s version gives it some new relevance in our times.

CD Woodbury and “The King of Beale Street” promise a good night of listening to blues music, as if you were out on the town at your local club. World’s Gone Crazy highlights how lucky we are to have recordings that introduce us to local blues musicians we might have never heard if we did not live in Seattle or attend IBC.

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