Wilder Woods Hits New Heights
Posted February 15, 2025
By BPence,
Curioso is Bear Rinehart's (singer and songwriter with NEEDTOBREATHE) third solo release as Wilder Woods, and my favorite of the three. The album is fresh and energetic. Each repeated listening brings out new elements of each song. Rinehart’s strong vocals are excellent as usual, and I particularly liked the guitar, drums, and backing vocals on the album. The album features a mix of upbeat, mid-tempo and slower songs, all of them strong. I list my favorites below.
Rinehart wrote or co-wrote each of the ten songs. The album was produced by Jeremy Lutito. Curioso is sure to show up on my best albums of 2025.
Here are a few comments on each of the songs.
Swimming In The Ocean – This song was written by Bear Rinehart and Sam Westhoff. The song features a driving beat led by guitar and drums. He’s asking her to take a ride with him in his 1973 Camino. A highlight.
Key lyric:
We can ride it like a river
Going down our spines, holy ghost given shivers
Time On My Hands – This love song was written by Bear Rinehart, Trent Dabbs and Mokita, and features My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on vocals. The mid-tempo song features a bass line, keys, drums and backing vocals.
Key lyric:
Cause we got time on our hands
We got love that we can't deny
Oh, we got time on our hands
Slow it down, let the water just roll on by
Hide Anymore – This upbeat song was written by Bear Rinehart, Foy Vance and Konrad Snyder. The song features drum, bass, guitar, and is about him asking God not to hide anymore.
Key lyric:
The hope, the shame
The crown of thorns
The love, the pain, I felt it all
I know your name, I hear your calling
I really need you not to hide anymore
I really need ya
Offering – This mid-tempo love song was written by Bear Rinehart and Mokita, and features Anna Graves on vocals. The acoustic song - guitar, light drums, bass - features wonderful harmonies between Rinehart and Graves.
Key lyric:
Baby, I don't really know just where we're going
But I promise I'll never leave
I guess that'll have to be my offering
Love Last – This upbeat love song was written by Bear Rinehart, Trent Dabbs and Konrad Snyder. The song about fighting to make love last, features a driving beat led by keys, bass, guitar, drums, and backing vocals.
Key lyric:
Down on your knees, empty-handed
Pile full of bones on the canvas
Carried me home, wrapped a bandage and took the pain
Where Do We Go From Here – This song was written by Bear Rinehart. It starts with drums and distorted vocals. It is a driving song led by guitar, bass, backing vocals, and drums. It’s the most musically interesting song on the album.
Key lyric:
Love my place in the wild, but I keep the doors wide
Fall down every turn, but I hold the line
Devil In My Eyes – This rocker was written by Bear Rinehart, Trent Dabbs and Konrad Snyder. The song features a raucous vocal over guitar, bass, drums, and backing vocals. He’s got those angels on his shoulders and the devil in his eyes.
Key lyric:
Running ragged nearly all my life
Still I'm chasing something
That I should not find
Kind Of Magic – This mid-temp love song was written by Bear Rinehart and Trent Dabbs. The song features drums, synth, background vocals and guitar. He will love her to the end and after that.
Key lyric:
'Cause you are my favorite kind of magic
Don't know how it happened
Close my eyes and there you are
Descendants – This upbeat song was written by written Bear Rinehart, Trent Dabbs and Anderson East. The song is driven Rinehart’s strong vocal and keys, guitar, bass, drums and backing vocals. He hopes the world gets better for all your descendants.
Key lyric:
Shame, we got a lot of it
Pain, we paid the cost of it
Blame it on the currency, blame it on the crawl
Shine a little light into the nature of it all
Wild Fire – This love song was written by Bear Rinehart, Trent Dabbs and Anderson East, and features Maggie Rose on vocals. The song features piano, guitar, drums, and bass, and wonderful harmonies of Rinehart and Rose.
Key lyric:
I wanna see all of the light you save
Shine like a diamond
So bright and so unafraid
Favorite songs:
Swimming in the Ocean
Time on Our Hands
Offering
Love Last
Where Do We Go From Here
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