“It was a warts and all album in a way that I never had done before […] a funeral to the life I was living”, Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods muses on his seventh studio album, Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now. In it, he scrutinises his life and his choices and it is plain that he is not necessarily content with what he sees inside.
With this album, we see Woods pushing himself off from the bottom, away from the depths to which his struggles had taken him, and reaching for a fresh start. Co-produced with longtime collaborator James Bunton, it is a masterclass in vulnerable storytelling and infused with the artist’s characteristic honesty, reflecting on the complexities of life, on Woods’ ups and downs, on love and friendship.
The vocals are raw and often accompanied by an introspective guitar line, other instruments such as the piano and saxophone weaving in and out of the background. Woods takes us with him on a trip through the experiences and emotions that shaped his life.
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching of all the tracks, ‘Rosemary’ contemplates the aftermath of a couple’s fight, the synth heat of the argument making way for melancholic reflections on mistakes made, the singer admitting his faults and wondering whether his partner can still love him as he is. ‘Living Well’ and ‘Well Read’ similarly take relationships as their common thread, one lamenting the end and the other examining a potential new beginning.
‘Back For The Funeral’ digs even deeper and sees a group return to their hometown to pay their respects to a schoolmate who overdosed on pills. They catch up, try to reestablish old ties, and wonder just how they managed to lose touch. The song muses on how the eclipsing of one life leads to a fresh start for others and ends with the haunting line, “How fucked up is that, that somebody’s gotta die for us to call each other back?”
Such introspection brings inner conflict – who amongst us has not led a monologue with that little voice in our heads when we are faced with a problem? Woods opens the door to his innermost thoughts: in ‘Don’t Talk To Her at Night’, in which perhaps fear of commitment and shame for his secrets keep him from expressing his feelings for the woman he loves; and in ‘I’m Just Trying To Get Home’, filled with wonderings on a life (as of yet) unfulfilled.
However, there is a spark of light in the struggles laid bare in the rest of the album, for in ‘When Our Friends Come Over’, a gorgeous duet with Madi Diaz, we hear of a couple rediscovering affection for one another, remembering the small things they love about each other and why it is all worth the fight.
Donovan Woods is a true master in the art of observing the little things in life and building them into beautiful, stripped-back, raw songs that many of his listeners – old and new – can relate to. This album is perhaps his best yet.