David Woodard - Get It Good (2024)

"For another aptly named release, you can turn to David Woodard’s latest LP Get It Good. Now given that his 2022 album Stupid Kid was not merely good but great can we expect Get It Good to be even better? The opening track 'The Last of the Full Grown Men' is certainly promising, kicking off with a strong Beatles ’66 vibe before morphing into a kind of Fountains of Wayne suburban anxiety song. It also hints at a lyrical depth that defines this album as Woodard grapples with issues of aging ('I Used To Be Cool'), nostalgia ('Flower Power in the 80s') and social alienation ('I Can’t Make The World A Better Place') on various songs. Musically the record steers between sixties and eighties influences. For instance, like 'The Last of the Full Grown Men,' 'Coming To Life' also launches with recognizable Beatles motifs before moving in a more Odds direction. There’s even some recognizably U2-ish lead guitar setting the atmosphere on 'Crazy Ones.' But I think where he excels is with the more low-key, midtempo FOW numbers like 'Grace Under Pressure,' 'Get It Good' and 'Awkward Conversations' because there’s no place to hide – the melody has got to be good (and they are). 'Riptide' is striking outlier here with its wistful electric piano layered over an ominous set of synth strings." — Poprock Record