The Woodys

No Depression
Compare Michael and Dyann Woody's version of "I Don't Mean Maybe" with the Millers' exhilarating original and it pretty much holds its own.... So, what's wrong here? For one thing, Michael Woody's dozen years as a Music Row tunechurner are painfully obvious when he's not teamed with a big-league slugger.... Unable to decide between real and manufactured country, they've opted, disappointingly, to straddle the chasm.

Tracks:

Mama And Them
A Hundred Years Of Solitude
Second Wind
Bobby And Juanita
Habits Of The Heart
Circle Of Angels
The Rain Came Down
High Lonesome
I Don't Mean Maybe
Alabama 'Shine
Closer To The Flame
Like Strangers

Customer Reviews:

Country couple produced by Brian Ahern.......2005-01-17

Michael Woody and Dyann Brown were both popular singers in their Colorado college days but although they knew each other, they did not sing together, nor did any relationship develop between them at the time. After college, Michael went to Nashville while Dyann headed for Los Angeles. Michael had some success as a songwriter, notably providing the Desert rose band with a number one country hit, He's back and I'm blue (which the Woodys recorded for their more recent album, Teardrops and diamonds), but also having songs recorded by Barbara Mandrell, Steve Earle, Clay Walker, David Lee Murphey and others. Eventually, Dyann was advised to go to Nashville and did so in 1993. She met up with Michael again - this time things were different and they married later that year.

Michael co-wrote nine of the twelve songs with a variety of different co-writers (Chris Hillman, David Lee Murphey, Steve Earle and Cactus Moser of Highway 101 among them) and is the lead vocalist on all the songs. He also plays acoustic guitars, harmonica and mandolin. Dyann contributes harmony vocals and plays acoustic guitar but gets no songwriter credits. In reality, this is a Michael Woody solo album. With the exception of two up-tempo songs (I don't mean maybe, Mama and her), this is a very mellow album

Of the three outside songs, the most famous (Like strangers) is a cover of an Everly Brothers song while High lonesome (Gretchen Peters) and I don't mean maybe (Buddy and Julie Miller) are also excellent. The Everly song reinforces Brian Ahern's idea that the Woodys are a nineties male-female version of the Everly brothers. I can see what Brian means but the comparison should not be taken too far.

Among the songs that Michael co-wrote, most of them are love ballads but there are other songs too. Mama and them is about Michael's family - he explains that Dyann will get on well with Mama and them (though he doesn't mention Dyann by name). Alabama shine tells the story of a moonshine trader dodging the law. The rain came down is about the harsh realities of life on the farm.

This is a wonderful country album, at times veering towards folk-country or country-rock, but never towards the commercial mainstream.

A Undiscovered Legend Finally Takes Front Stage........2004-06-02

Michael Woody has a long, albeit popularly unrealized, place in American country/bluegrass/folk/rock musical history. He once seemed poised to pick up and carry the country-rock torch fumbled by the untimely death of Gram Parsons. But the music business and what consumers "consume" is, to say the least, fickle. After decades of dues paying and near misses, while others musical mainstreamers (such as The Desert Rose Band, Steve Earle, Waylon Jennings and Emmylou Harris) reaped the rewards of Woodys songwriting talents, FINALLY Woody and perfect musical partner/wife Dyann, get their chance to work hard to take a long overdue and well deserved front stage on the American music scene.

Odds are you've already heard a lot of Woodys songs through the years, you just didn't know they were HIM.

Big name acts probably scramble to get their hands on the new songs everytime Woody cranks them out. As he has been doing for decades. "Habits of the Heart" on this CD is a prime example of missed top of the charts talent caused by the whims and fickleness of the music business. And its just the simmering topping of a thick and deep, flavorful, musical stew best savored with your own ears. Check out the samples for yourself here on Amazon. To bad you aren't given a taste of ALL the songs on the CD here.

Do yourself a favor, give yourself a treat, empower yourself musically, and don't miss the undiscovered gems of a ongoing American musical heritage available in abundance on this album.

Hear America in the perfect harmonies and song structures of "The Woodys".

Excellent performances and memorable music........1998-09-28

Well done. The duets work well with an exceptional match of voices. The music is great with pleasing melodies and lyrics. First class listening for fans of this type of music.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Music

Teardrops & Diamonds
The Woodys
Manufacturer: Scena Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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The Woodys
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ASIN: B0002IQK0Y
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

Teardrops & Diamonds
Hearts Don't Break
Message From Michael
Don't Blame Me
Every Minute Counts
Honey I'm Wrong
Hello Heartache
Echoes Of Love
Down Here In Denver
Sweeter Than Wine
He's Back and I'm Blue
I Know Who You Really Are
Sweet Destiny

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Music.......2007-01-10

I had never heard of the Woodys before I tried this album and I was so glad I did. They are real down home country and I love the album. One of my favorites.

Average customer rating:

I Couldn't Describe the The Woodys Music Any Better Than This Paraphase
This dazzling duo's approach combines the pastoral with the raucous for a entertaining set

Telluride to Tennessee
The Woodys
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0009ML28S
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Tracks:

Greener Pastures
My Train Of Thought
Hillbilly At Heart
Sin City
Kick Up The Dust
Telluride To Tennessee
Long Time Gone
Fork In The Road
He's Back And I'm Blue (Grass)
I Couldn't Love You Anymore
Lonesome City, Pop. 1
Bop Shebang
That's The Way Love Goes

Customer Reviews:

I Couldn't Describe the The Woodys Music Any Better Than This Paraphase.......2006-07-21

Imagine the Everly Brothers, but this time an Everly Brother and Sister, or better yet, Everly Husband and Wife. No, make that Michael and Dyann Woody going into the studio with songs written for them by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, the real good California Country stuff that Nashville just can't "get" anymore these days. Wait, oops, make that compositions written by Michael and Dyann with contributions by Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of the Flying Burrito Bros. And having Chris and Gram produce this album, Well, Gram's dead and Chris didn't produce it, but he and HIS Desert Rose and duo partner Herb Pedersen contributed some mighty fine backing and harmony vocals and instrumentation - as do former Burrito and Nash Rambler Al Perkins and another guitar player who plays that 12-string as good if not better than Roger McGuinn.

Well, the ultimate result of all this is the new Woodys recording "Telluride to Tennessee" an exuberant collection of what they call "Bluegrass" but sounds very much like classic Country Rock, with shades of their Colorado backgrounds and California influences thrown in. Even a bit of Cajun too!

They kick off with the spirited "Greener Pastures", take off on the title track, then go on to score on "Fork in the Road", and on the wonderful "Hillbilly at Heart". There's even a salute to the 1950s with "Bop Shebang", and this reviewer did say Cajun? Yes, on "Kick Up The Dust". The fresh air and pure Country and Rockabilly harmonies are as crisp as the Colorado Mountain air from whence the Woodys have come from.

There are also spirited new renditions of some wonderful old favorites - including a new upbeat version of "He's Back and I'm Blue" the song that Michael wrote for Hillman, Pedersen and the Desert Rose Band, which became an early hit for them, with harmony vocals by Pedersen. Hillman himself provides a strong guest vocal on the Woody's tribute to the Hillman-Parsons Burritos, a very Everly, no make that, very mandolin and dobro flavored and very Woodys sounding recording of Chris and Gram's "Sin City".

This is Americana Music at its best. Forget Tim and Faith. Michael and Dyann Woody sing and harmonize much better. They are the "REAL DEAL"!

This dazzling duo's approach combines the pastoral with the raucous for a entertaining set .......2005-08-18

Playing Time - 43:10 -- Dyann and Michael Woody (The Woodys) prove that they have myriad influences from country to folk, bluegrass to rock. The singing duo use an acoustic format with drums to present ten originals out of the total baker's dozen. "Telluride to Tennessee" enlists the support of some notable musicians from both the bluegrass and country-rock genres. the features Chris Hillman, Herb Pederson, Gretchen Peters, Pat Flynn, Al Perkins, Ronnie McCoury, Larry Atamaniuk, Mike Compton, Scott Vestal, Tammy Rogers and others. Fats Kaplan plays accordion and tin whistle on the Cajun-flavored "Kick Up the Dust." One of the best originals for bluegrass bands to cover is "Hillbilly at Heart."

Appealing primarily to fans of the Americana format, these songs will find their way to the airwaves of non-mainstream stations that simply like well-executed music with a bite. The Woodys were voted the top country vocal duo at the International Country Music News Awards in Belgium. They've also won an ASCAP songwriter award.

"Telluride to Tennessee," the Woodys' third release, varies the cadence between songs like the wistful country ballad "Long Time Gone" and "He's Back and I'm Blue." The latter was a hit for the Desert Rose Band in 1988. They clearly have their pulse on a new type of country music that is both funky ("Fork in the Road"), nostalgic ("Sin City"), sweet ("I Couldn't Love You Anymore"), and witty ("Bop Shebang").

The Woodys are now well-connected to the Nashville music scene, and their approach combines the pastoral with the raucous for a entertaining set with even a few classic country and bluegrass overtones. Their expressive vocals are never overshadowed by their sidemen. Born to sing, Dyann and Michael first met at college in Colorado. She was in all-woman R&B show band before moving to Los Angeles to work as an actress. She moved to Nashville in 1993. Michael had already located there in 1985 and was chasing success as a songwriter. The two were married in August 1993. With the help of producer Brian Ahern, their career as a duo was launched. With a number of albums and other recording projects under their belts, The Woodys are now well-established as the dazzling singing duo that they are. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

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