JAMES JACKSON TOTH, aka WOODEN WAND, is your fearless friend, the stumbling guy who gets himself into incredibly fucked up situations but comes out shining and lives to tell about it, entertaining you safely and immensely. You should be grateful. In my view, he's a great American songwriter in full bloom. Most likely you'll think that's a preposterous claim, and I won't blame you, but you'll be totally, completely, and unforgivably wrong not to agree. To me, it's obvious Toth is animated with the same spirit that's moved through Willie, Waylon, Merle, and Hank. Not to say he sounds like them, but his songs unfurl with a similar casual authority. There's no space between who he is and the work he does-never without a guitar, and always writing, listening to, or seeking out new music. He's inhabited. I laugh out loud when I hear some of the lines in these songs-they're just so immediate and vivid. The pathos can leave you drained, but the language and the singing is effortless and without loaded portent-it goes down smooth. Really, were Nashville still a place where one could peddle great songs, Toth would be the king of the place. He's a passionate singer and guitar player and inhabits the songs as he performs them with straightforward, unpretentious and confident gravitas. These songs are a flat-out pleasure to listen to, and each one brings further rewards on repeated listening."-Michael Gira.