Royce Wood Junior: The Ashen Tang | Album Review

The Ashen Tang
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Artist: Royce Wood Junior
Genre: R&B / Soul
Label: 37 Adventures

Those who study the music industry's behind-the-scenes comings and goings may have seen Royce Wood Junior's name attached to work by Jamie Woon, Kwabs and other slingers of modern pop. Standing on his own two feet, though, his own electronic soul is something of a marvel, a rich rub of soulful tracks with intriguing twists. Midnight is a beauty of an earwork, a song where the Prince-like melody line hooks you again and again. Elsewhere, it's how Wood Junior fills the space in what are often conventionally plotted tunes which resonates the most, be it the wonky riff which sets Clanky Love off nicely, or the colossal hunk of funk detonated on Bees. Throughout, the singer's occasionally melancholic, plaintive tones keep the narrative and minor dramas flowing smartly along. facebook.com/roycewoodjunior