Woody Russell has released a catalogue of diverse recordings, or "variations", as he refers to it. The variations are, by his measure, "something akin to completely different indentities. Admittedly, the details delineating my work, that is, one project seperate from another, are a bit hazy."
After striking out on his own following the earliest bands of his career, his "solo" recordings begin with the folk and blues infused fare of his debut, As Simple As That (1996). A Thousand One-Eighties (1998) and Time To Go (2001) were two subsequent trio releases while still based in Seattle. After relocating to Austin, Russell followed up with a new band and the Americana leaning, IMA "Album Of The Year" nominated, Salt (2005). His successful blues and soul album, Up Against It (2010), found an audience via blues specific radio programs and wide critical praise in national and international blues press. Though that recording was a notable departure from Woody's previous releases, he considers his first major variation to be the rich instrumental/orchestral/jazz project, Big Sky (2012, subsequently remastered for a 2023 re-release). Successive albums offered up the funkier pop-jazz and adult-rock hues of Delicious Days (2013) and Carry It Up (2016). A second variation, Russell's self-described "pandemic lockdown project", Still Wilson (2020), highlights trumpeter, John Spears, and offers an ambitious pairing of videos with each of the six singles. 2023 saw the release of a 3-song EP project recorded between late 2020 through mid-'21, This Is Son Solitaire (2023), which has also garnered very high marks from reviewers, landing on the Official 67th Grammy Ballot for “Best Alternative Performance”. Son Solitaire is another of Russell's variations that he considers an “individual artistic identity” presenting an intricate art-rock/post-punk sound, of which The Hollywood Digest said, “…aspires to more than mere entertainment.” A final entry in 2023 was the limited edition compilation, Essentials, featuring curated tracks off every release between Salt and Big Sky - Remastered Edition albums.
He is currently recording new music for release in 2025.
