Wooden Wand

James And The Quiet

[3/5] Although James Jackson Toth (codename: Wooden Wand)’s reputation as a psych-folkster proceeds him like a far out, humming, Technicolor wave, Toth has stepped away from the wah-wah pedal to deliver 11 tracks of rather straightforward ballads. A wry, often dark humor surfaces from time to time as Toth wends his lyrical way through acoustic glimpses into the void. No doubt a Songs From A Room or I’m Your Man-era Leonard Cohen would be proud. Joining the sometimes Vanishing Voice vocalist is co-arranger, singer and fellow Vanishing Voice vocalist Jessica Toth. Don’t expect a modern day Lee and Nancy, though. This incarnation of Wooden Wand nods to Nashville only inasmuch as it turns away from comparisons like Devendra Banhart or Jana Hunter. James And The Quiet slows the pace, dims the lights and lowers the volume, sidestepping easy classification and concentrating on the vulnerable, flawed and beautiful human condition. (ECSTATIC PEACE) Mike McKee