An album that reminds you of a perfect night in your favourite pub.
Recorded “live” at Josh Clark’s Get Real Audio in Bath, “Working In Wood” is another offering full of quality songs from Brooks Williams and Aaron Catlow. With Jon Short on double bass, the pair produce a rich, unique sound which sets them apart from other artists on the acoustic scene. A mixture of originals and covers, which are given the full Brooks and Catlow treatment, this is an album to sit back and enjoy. ‘Watcha Gonna Do About It’, written by Kieron Kane, Rayna Gellert and David Francey, kicks things off with a country shuffle that sets the scene perfectly for what is to come. Bonnie Prince Billy’s ‘Sleeping With the Dogs Tonight’, which recounts a night out that should have ended a lot sooner, features Catlow’s whistling to double Williams guitar riff, adding another rocking chorus.
The first of the originals is ‘Tornado Smith’, a gentle country ramble which tells the story of the first wall of death rider in the UK. Obviously, the pair have an eye for a quirky story, and the instrumental ‘The Ballad of Hendrix the Cat’ follows the pattern. Dedicated to a feline who was a regular visitor to amusements on Saltburn on Sea Pier every day, it’s a gentle lament which breaks into a fiddle and guitar-inspired soaring finish. Long-time favourite of their live set, ‘Deep River Blues’ produces harmonies straight out of The Everley Brothers playbook with Catlow’s fiddle and Williams rockabilly guitar driving things along. The album’s closer, the traditional standard ‘Hesitation Blues’, proves that a fiddle and an acoustic guitar can play the blues as well as anyone. Listening to Williams and Catlow is like sitting in your favourite booth in your favourite pub. It’s easy on the ear but offers plenty to get involved with and it gives you that warm, comfortable feeling of home.
