There's a significant poignancy to The Burning Bright, the new album from Canadian singer-songwriter Royal Wood. Following the breakdown of his marriage a couple of years ago, he hightailed it to Slane, Co Meath, the origin of his Irish ancestors. Once there, he knuckled down to writing a suite of songs that, in a tender, understanding and empathetic manner, documented the underlying reasons for the break-up. So far, so morose. But what Wood has done is to wrap such misgivings in the kind of pop/folk arrangements that are tailor-made for radio as well as that reliable, totally free standby in times of internal conflict – whistling. Pristine pop tunes such as White Flag match the class of Ron Sexsmith, while I Wish you Well is as sob-heavy a song as you'll hear this year. royalwood.ca