Tanner Wood - Make It Home

Tanner Wood

Make It Home
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Dom Eagle
​

Tanner Wood is a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Nashville. Since receiving a guitar from his grandfather at the age of six, nothing and no one has been able to stop this young talent. Influenced by ‘60s psychedelia, such as the Beatles and classics such as Johnny Cash, Wood has been drawing from a wide array of influences his entire life. After stumbling down the rabbit hole of folk music, Wood decided to try his hand at writing some of his own musical masterpieces, leading to his debut album entitled Make It Home.

The ten-track album begins with the upbeat, finger-picked opener entitled “Through the Diner Window.” While it seems the beautiful guitar playing and the sweet melody are the key elements on which the listener should be focusing, it is the vocals which captivate above all else. With a voice that is incredibly husky and powerful, it’s impossible to believe that this is the voice of a man as young as nineteen. That’s not criticism but high praise. I think you’d be hard pressed to find folk music so complex, or vocals so impressive, from somebody so early in their musical career. From the first ten seconds I had high hopes not only for the rest of the album, but the rest of Wood’s career.

“Love is on the Way” keeps up the quality both in performance and songwriting. Softly-strummed, melancholic chords and a soothing shaker support Wood’s multi-layered and self-harmonized vocals. He croons, “I promise you / Love is almost here.” Just as I thought I’d gathered all I could from this track, a tribal-esque drum beat emerges quite suddenly, propelling the track into a powerful climax. This is truly a beautiful piece of music with intimate and meaningful lyrics in place to support it.

“Dink’s Song (Fare Thee Well)” is a song built around the most classic, traditional folk sound one could muster in their mind. An upbeat, hopeful guitar strumming and picking pattern is coupled with occasional bursts of harmonica to create a beautiful and seemingly happy track about farewells. Wood’s vocals sound tinned, but purposefully so, and it really accentuates the raw, folky atmosphere for which he was clearly striving.

​All in all, this is a solid folk album. I could talk about it endlessly, but you’ll have to go and listen for yourself if you’re a fan of folk music.

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