Possibly the truest folk singer in England? Rather than fussing over the veneration and preservation of 'the tradition' Chris is busy ensuring it's continuity by writing songs that are as down to earth as you can get yet reveal a whole new world about the world we live in.

Chris Wood is an uncompromising writer whose music reveals his love for the un-official history of the English speaking people. With gentle intelligence he weaves the tradition with his own contemporary parables. His writing has been said to share the same timeless quality as Richard Thompson at his best.

Chris’s latest projects include the new album, Trespasser, which has been widely critically acclaimed and nominated for the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. It was recorded at his R.U.F Records / English Acoustic Collective base in Kent and includes the vocals of Karine Polwart.

He is also part of Simon Emmerson’s project, ‘The Imagined Village’ which won a 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for ‘Best Track’ for ‘Cold Hailey Rainy Night’. The project also features artists such as Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Johnny Kalsi and Benjamin Zephaniah.

The Irish Times heralded Chris Wood as "the renaissance man of English folk" when on his own R.U.F Records label he released The Lark Descending which included the BBC Folk Award winning song One In A Million in 2005.

Wood’s appeal has now gone way beyond English folk music. He was invited to sing at last year's WOMEX where he garnered much praise and found many new followers. Likewise, his spot at the WOMAD 2008 festival was testament to his widening appeal. He has had musical commissions from BBC Radio 3's Late Junction and Between The Ears, and also from The Sage Gateshead, and has completed work for Arts Council England whilst also writing and lecturing.

Albion
Being hailed as 'one of our greatest songwriters' is a weighty title for anyone to shoulder. And, sadly, it can often form the selling point for lacklustre performances from artists who've always written in a snooze-inducing and rigid fashion. Not so in Chris Wood's case. This two disc career-spanning compilation proves why this accolade is being placed upon him, for all the right reasons.

Wood is a tenacious songsmith who delights in sifting through our nation's mannerisms for the richest material. It can be heard in the deep yearn of the title track and in each character study. Therefore, listening to his early duo work with Andy Cutting through to material from Trespasser can be a heady experience. And, despite the recent awards this collection doesn’t opt for the obvious choices ( no ‘Come Down Jehovah') but balances his output from across the years. In all, ten albums are represented here from his solo works to collaborations with Martin Carthy, Karine Polwart, The English Acoustic Collective and The Imagined Village.

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Trespasser
The songs on this album are about enclosure in some form or another. Spiritual, geographical, cultural, legislative, chronological, imaginative... they are an invitation to step upon these places we have been lured into believing are no business of ours.

This is the bold opening statement in the booklet of 'Trespasser' Chris's second solo album. Certainly a tough brief to fulfil but he is up to the task. His qualifications are plain to see. He lectures across a range of musical subjects, is a recipient of a BBC Folk Award and has completed commissions for The Late Junction, The Sage in Gateshead and The Arts Council of England. Chris handles all the instruments here in consummate style.

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Official site: http://www.ChrisWoodMusic.co.uk

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/englishacousticcollectivechriswood

Tour dates: www.alanbearmanmusic.co.uk