Take Another Look at Beth Wood
To the Editor:
I would like to suggest to Technique critic Andy Chriss to take another look at
singer/songwriter Beth Wood, who recently played at Music Midtown. In the May 1st
issue of the Technique, Mr. Chriss asserted his distaste and outright boredom with Ms.
Wood’s music, complaining of how these days in the music business “any woman with a
guitar and a voice can get signed to a major label.” Let me assure you, Mr. Chriss, that
Beth Wood offers plenty more than just a voice and a guitar, especially on the stage.
The moment Beth begins to sing, the beauty and expression of her voice
combined with the grace of her fingers over the guitar, captivates me every time, sending
chills down my spine. Not only is her voice astounding, but her poetic lyrics make
perfect sense and talk about the things in life that each one of us knows and experiences.
For example on her newest release, New Blood on one of the tracks, cleverly named
“Deliciously,” while absolutely tearing up the guitar, Beth describes the beauty with
which dancers move and poets speak. She eloquently goes on to point out that they have
the same bones and know the same words as you and I; they just use theirs “a little more
deliciously.”
Beth describes her characters not only with the words themselves, but with her
expression as she sings them. In another track, “Highway Water,” her voice and the
music simply fade out into nothing when she’s talking about the disappearance of the
woman this man loves. For me, Beth Wood’s music is a relief from much of the generic
music I hear on the radio today. As one of my fellow Beth fans agrees: “her voice allows
her to sing her ballads with the true passion and beauty that is often lost in our world of
music these days.”
So for those of you out there who are looking for a new unique blend of brilliant
music and lyrics that will creep into your soul, give Beth Wood a try. I’m sorry Mr.
Chriss if she was not your cup of tea, but I encourage you to give her another shot, or
even better, to see her live on stage.
Erin Johnson
gte161f@prism.gatech.edu