Royal Wood - Ever After the Farewell (2018)

Even After the Farewell serves as Royal Wood's confessional, where he lets his deepest feelings out. Two significant life events—getting married and his father’s death—course through the songs and pacing. “Hardest Thing of All” and “Farewell” form a potent one-two punch, revealing that after the storm comes the rainbow. The Memphis-style horns on “California Nights” and “Midnight Hour” lend brightness, and you can hear subtle flecks of gospel, Laurel Canyon rock, and folk. Producer Jamie Scott (Ed Sheeran, Rag‘n’Bone Man) turns up the colors and resonance, making the album even more cathartic.