Woodface

"It looks like you're making a comeback..." ...maybe one of the most significant lines from "Good Morning Hope", the title song of the first album from Woodface, the brand new band of the other ingenious half of K's Choice, Gert Bettens. After more than a decade of composing, recording and touring all around the world with one of the most successful Belgian bands ever, in addition to dozens of side projects as a songwriter, guitarist and producer, Gert is indeed making his comeback in the music scene with his very first solo project. Written in his backyard studio and recorded at Jet Studios in Brussels, "Good Morning Hope" sheds light on the wide range of Gert's musical influences and tastes, blending power-driven rock with intimate singer-songwriter compositions. This contrast is probably the only similarity to his former band. Driven by Gert's remarkably original sound and voice, there's an ambitious fusion of styles. The album stretches from typical '70s rock-tinged guitar bands like The Who and Led Zeppelin to the dulcet sounds of Crowded House, The Smiths and The Beatles. Some songs embrace the drive of more contemporary critical favorites such as David Gray, Eels and the late Elliott Smith. The colourful palette of sounds was recorded by Werner Pensaert who also engineered the K's Choice platinum record "Paradise in Me". He proved to be the perfect choice to help get Gert's heartfelt lyrics and compositions on disc. This band is fresh, this band is different, and somehow Woodface is both nostalgic and progressive at the same time. Solid original compositions bolstered by keen arrangements, layered instrumentation and great vocal performances by one of Belgium's finest songwriters make "Good Morning Hope" something that is so rare these days: an album in a category of its own. Frank Clauwers / August 2005