The band name Woven Hand will not ring many people's bells. The name of David Eugene Edwards on the other hand will make many a heart beat faster: the charismatic leader of the Americana band Sixteen Horsepower. He has built a large multitude of loyal fans in The Netherlands. They have undoubtedly looked forward to this solo-album eagerly. But is that appropriate? Edwards' voice remains one in a thousand. And the religion-tinted lyrics he writes for Sixteen Horsepower are also present on Woven Hand. For that matter there are plenty of marks of recognition. But don't think you're dealing with a second Sixteen Horsepower, for you will be disappointed. Only in three songs we can recognise the band, be it in a "light"-version. The Good Hand, Wooden Brother and Arrowhead. All three moving alt.country songs with a minimal instrumentation, some vocals, some guitar (by 16hp-colleague Steve Taylor) and a bit of piano. No drums. Nowhere. That makes the other songs resemble each other. They're less Americana, and heavier on hand. Emotionally speaking Woven Hand is a depressing album. Even the cover of Ain't No Sunshine sounds ten times gloomier than Bill Wither's original. And that wasn't very merry to begin with. All in all: a pleasant in-between album, but 16hp-drummer Jean-Yves Tola is sorely missed.

7 (out of 10)