A Good Enough Day To Love

EYE MAGAZINE
Paul Isaacs

"An excellent showcase ... an immaculately produced record"

SPILL MAGAZINE
James Sandham

'Self-taught one-man musical master and Toronto native Royal Wood's third album is set for release Jan. 30 and showcases a mind-bending range of musical talent - all contained in one man! Royal Wood very capablely personifies the word "multi-instrumentalist." ...something quite beautiful. A Good Enough Day is a piano-driven LP comparable to the musical sensibilities of an early Elton John fused with the Beatles, carrying forth together the vocals of a young John Lennon. Gently rolling piano melodies carry Royal Wood's resonant and softly spoken lyrics, and are accented by simple acoustic guitar arrangements and dreamy, sighed choruses."

TANDEM MAGAZINE
Kerry Doole

For the past 25 years now, The Cameron House has stood as the bastion of Queen Street West bohemian cool. Part of that reputation has come from helping launch some of Toronto's best and most original talents, from Molly Johnson to Handsome Ned to more recently, Justin Rutledge. They all honed their craft during long-term musical residencies there, and, to that list, you can now add the name of Royal Wood. read the rest here

"Carefully writing, performing and producing the new effort, Royal decided to have a few guest musicians sit in, including well-known Toronto musicians Hawksley Workman, Kurt Swinghammer, Harmony Trowbridge and Kevin Fox. With his new record due out soon, his music in the hands of fans, successful performances at major festivals and venues, including a tour with Canadian songstress Sarah Harmer, Royal Wood is an artist whose time is at hand to be heard." - CBC Radio 3

Tall Tales

Nov, 2005
EXCLAIM MAGAZINE

"ROYAL WOOD Backed with airtight precision by In-Flight Safety (who apparently had practiced only briefly that day in less than accommodating conditions), each song, such as the heavy "Weigh Me Down," the bouncy "Once" and the enlightening "The Spirits and I," came to life, anchored by either his piano prowess or guitar playing. Wood is on his way to establishing himself alongside the Canadian royalty of artists such as Slean, Sexsmith and Wainwright. - IKM"

Dec/Jan, 2004
EXCLAIM MAGAZINE
Vish Khanna

"On his first full-length, Royal Wood sets his sights on making a grand pop album and just goes for it. The ambitious Tall Tales finds the multi-instrumentalist marking the same territory as Ron Sexsmith, in his vocal style, while beefing up his sound with a reckless inventiveness that recalls the Beatles. There are many ear-catching sounds snaking their way through Wood's lush pastiches of music that only bolster his infectious lyricism. Take heed: if you let poppy numbers like "The Spirits and I" and "Once" get into your head, they will not leave. Ditto for an easy ballad like "Sway". It goes on and on; every song is a charmer in its own right. Armed with a killer band of innovative musicians, Wood makes releasing a great first album look effortless."

June 10, 2004
CHART ATTACK
Aaron Foster

With a sultry voice in the vein of Rufus Wainwright, Ron Sexsmith et al, Mr. Wood is definitely on par with his Canadian counterparts, if not better.

May 13, 2004
NOW Magazine
DYLAN YOUNG

NNNN
It's telling that Royal Wood was a child musical prodigy. His instincts for manoeuvring around a song are expert. For someone so young, that could only come from having been around music at a very early age. He simply makes it sound too easy. The album drifts from sad pastoral laments to capering piano pop jubilance with an effortlessness that is truly staggering. Vocally and lyrically, Wood comes surprisingly close to Aimee Mann's stomping grounds, with glancing blows at Ron Sexsmith's tenebrous pipes and brand of songcraft. But Wood is his own man, his own voice, and the sincerity of his words can't be blamed on anyone but him.

May 13, 2004
EYE Magazine
BEST BET

Local piano-man Royal Wood crafts songs as sturdy and ragged as a freshly cut chunks of oak, but his smooth voice adds a shellac sheen to make them shine like diamonds. Years of slogging it out on the singer/songwriter circuit have paid off handsomely for Wood, in the form of his impressive new debut disc, Tall Tales (Sherpa/MapleNationwide). Evoking storied tunesmiths such as Steely Dan, Jeff Buckley to Hawksley Workman (pre-Bono phase) and burgeoning Brit Ed Harcourt, Royal Wood isn't afraid to ruffle his solemn sentiments and fragile melodies with cabaret-jazz flourishes and a piano-bar looseness. Before the summer sun creeps in, Tall Tales gives us good reason to keep the drapes drawn for a few more moments.

May 13, 2004
Toronto Star Interview
VIT WAGNER

"Tall Tales (is) sung with honesty...a follow-up to 2003 The Milkweed EP, it is an assured, polished work."

May 13, 2004
MetroToronto
Ian Nathanson

****
Much mainstream music tries to grasp greatness amongst albums which, sadly, sound all the same if you listen to them long enough. The new underground, alas, seems to be anyone who can grasp a strong melodic flair and take it to new levels.

Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist Royal Wood already has established himself as a talent to watch with his fine Milkweed EP. And Tall Tales,
his debut full-lengther, evokes more of his knack for penning clever, Randy Newman-style songs in his largely piano-driven repertoire: Meaning? Wry humour mixed with cabaret-style melodies à la Rufus Wainwright or a Jeff Buckley.

Combining bounciness in lead hit Suzanne (his own, not a Leonard Cohen) with ballads that wouldn't sound out of place in a musical of some sorts, Royal Wood has produced a solid disc the mainstream public would -and should - only be too happy to accept.

May 13, 2004
Toronto Sun
Mary Dickie

Tall Tales worth a listen

ON HIS lovely debut album, Tall Tales, local singer/songwriter Royal Wood conjures up the sensitive lyrics and fragile vocals of Ron Sexsmith as well as the swing of Randy Newman in just under a dozen heartfelt, cleverly constructed songs.

Wood's a multi-instrumentalist who relies heavily on his beautiful piano playing for much of Tall Tales' emotional impact, with tasteful string and horn parts adding to the sound but never overpowering the vocals or lyrics.

"They’re in a class of their own, these one-man shows. Toronto-based Royal Wood is the latest in a line of guys, like Danny Michel, who do it all themselves. He’s got a voice a little higher on the register than Bryan Ferry and has a similar classed-up cabaret feel of debut-era Hawksley Workman. These are mostly love songs and tales about growing up. There’s something magical in these common experiences, Royal Wood reminds us, and for that we should thank him." - The Coast

The Milkweed EP

"Following in the footsteps of Randy Newman, Jeff Buckley, and Tom Waits, Royal Wood is ready to establish himself as a force to be reckoned within Canadian music." - www.music-critic.ca

"Royal Wood crafts classic-sounding pop songs that are instantly accessible...The vocals are confident, the melodies exuberant, and the overall atmosphere is relaxed, making it a great chill-out disc. The only downside to the affair is its brevity. EPs are typically meant to wet the appetite in anticipation of a full length album, and Milkweed has certainly done that, but what am I supposed to do until then?" - Gauntlet Entertainment

"The Milkweed EP is...spun-sugar perfection" - www.rambles.net

"A beautiful five song mini-album that somehow manages to blend the songwriting of Tom Waits with a vocal style reminiscent of Jeff Buckley" - www.umbrellamusic.com

"Royal Wood has made a perfect start to his career and is destined for great things." - www.ectoguide.org

"Sounding much like Jeff Buckley without the high-pitched histrionics, Royal Wood crafts classic-sounding pop songs that are instantly accessible." - University of Calgary Gauntlet