In 2020, Donovan Woods released ‘ Without People’ via his own Meant Well label. It’s an album that ranks as Woods’ most successful release with more than 10 million streams and climbing. Due March 26, a new deluxe edition of ‘ Without People’ adds four bonus tracks (two new originals and two alternate mixes) and is available for pre-order now HERE
A new piano rendition of “Grew Apart” cuts right to the bone, and an acoustic interpretation of “Whatever Keeps You Going” pairs Woods with the pure voices of the J.P. Robarts Public School Music Project in London, Canada.
The school’s choir formerly sang with Woods in 2019 at one of his concerts in London. Woods always knew he wanted to feature the choir on a project, but during the pandemic, Woods learned that while the schools had reopened, the children were only allowed to hum during choir practice due to the nature of health and safety protocols. He then, with the help of their parents and choir director, Jane Kennedy, enlisted the children’s choir to individually submit homemade cell phone videos of themselves singing the song. All 19 students were able to share the “stage” again with Woods through this video. Watch HERE.
“This deluxe version is really in place of what live shows might’ve been like if the pandemic hadn’t happened,” says Woods. “Among my favorite parts of playing live are presenting songs in a different context and introducing new material, and this deluxe version is doing that type of work.”
For an album made so piecemeal, ‘Without People’ (2020) was listed in the Top 50 albums of 2020 by The Line of Best Fit, and has been acclaimed as “strikes a gentle, poignant note” (Billboard), “a nuanced experience” (American Songwriter) and a thoughtful exploration of ““fleeting interpersonal moments now under the microscope” (NPR/KUTX) and “various aspects of human connection” (Rolling Stone). |
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