The fact that the songs of Eric Wood appeal to the disparate fans of folk music, jazz, and blues, not to mention the singer-songwriter tradition, is ample proof that this artist transcends idiom. Like Los Lobos, who quite naturally combined rock with traditional Chicano music, Wood has created a deep and satisfying American amalgam.
DON'T JUST DANCE features a no-fuss-no-muss, stripped down, jazz-oriented production that allows Wood's unique, reedy tenor to playfully hover over the proceedings. When it comes to his rich lyric ability, Wood easily holds his own with the greats. Just for starters, there is the beautiful imagery in "Crystal Tears" of a tree bending down trying to "take a drink of water/From the river's crystal tears." The rueful "The Age Of Absurdity" featuring a character who concludes that "Heartless expedience/bred cold intolerance/for things not evidently true," is almost unbearably tragic. If all of those multi-syllable words sound un-singable, have no fear, because Wood's loose but assured vocal phrasing, makes it all work in a very natural way.