MUSIC REVIEW: ROYAL WOOD - WE WERE BORN TO GLORY

Sophisticated, smart, and catchy as all-get-out, Royal Wood has put together his most elegant album with We Were Born To Glory.  Always adept at crafting a moving melody, Wood scores big with a bunch of high-end, hook-heavy and up-tempo gems at the start of the disc, before moving into some moving, and glossy ballads.  Lead track The Thick Of It sets the tone, showcasing his sweet harmonies and joyous pop moves, including a Byrds guitar riff and even a whistled solo.

The hits keep coming, with the urgent The Fire Did Go driving along with a desperate drum beat, Wood wondering how to get back to the spark at the start of a love.  Chiming piano introduces Not Giving Up, Wood pledging to fight the good fight, "With every flame of my desire/I'm not giving up on you."  It's all radiant, with the glory of Rufus Wainwright and the emotional depth of Ron Sexsmith. 

Our boy has the voice, too.  Listen to string ballad Will We Ever Learn, bound to melt the hardest heart.  What a joy to open my email yesterday and see Wood's fall tour includes a stop in my fair city, although we all must wait until late fall, after some festival dates and a European jaunt.  If you want to mark your calender now, here are the shows:

The Glory Tour:

Oct 15 - Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre
Oct 16 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange
Oct 17 - Prince Albert, SK @ EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts
Oct 18 - Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
Oct 20 - Vancouver, BC @ Rio Theatre
Oct 21 - Victoria, BC @ St. Ane Theatre
Oct 23 - Nelson, BC @ Royal on Baker
Oct 24 - Canmore, AB @ Communitea Cafe
Oct 25 - Calgary, AB @ Hillhurst Church
Oct 26 - Edmonton, AB @ Myer Horowitz Theatre
Nov 7 – Hamilton, ON @ Studio Theatre
Nov 8 – London, ON @ Aeolian Hall
Nov 10 – Toronto, ON @ Winter Garden Theatre
Nov 22 - Port Hawkesbury, NS @ Shannon Studio
Nov 23 - Hunter River, PE @ Harmony House
Nov 24 -Margaretsville, NS @ Evergreen Theatre
Nov 25 - Halifax, NS @ St. Matthews Church
Nov 26 - Fredericton, NB @ The Capital Complex
Dec 7 - Kingston, ON @ Chalmers Church
Dec 8 - Peterborough, ON @ Market Hall
Dec 9 - Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus