The All Music Guide Bio

Pictures in Mind AMG REVIEW: Earnest Woodall is a multifaceted and multi-talented multi-instrumentalist from Northport, NY. He has been recording music for multimedia events and installations for years. He visited art museums in New York City, including the Museum of Modern Art, and the paintings that he "viewed and admired" serve as the inspiration for Pictures in Mind. This is a delightfully quirky set of different atmospheres. It is definitely new age, and Woodall definitely uses electronics. He employs avant-garde structures and ambient/minimalist sensitivities. The compositions are lighthearted, and there is just the slightest hint of mischief. This wonderfully offbeat CD has few legitimate comparisons. The closest would be the efforts of the Beau Hunks and the Caribbean Dream CDs by Brannan Lane. – Jim Brenholts

Unusual Characteristics Unusual Characteristics is, well, an unusual CD. Earnest Woodall created this long-form (48 minute) composition from an eclectic array of instruments and devices. The sound design incorporates many different influences. There are elements of jazz, rock & roll, classical, ambient, minimalism, experimental, avant-garde, and dissonance. Woodall builds off-beat atmospheres with harsh textures and hard edges. Deep listeners will hear and feel the angst of hopeless searches. Again, this is an unusual CD, so any comparison is a reach, but it will appeal to fans of John Cage, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Charles Ives. – Review by Jim Brenholts

13 Earnest Woodall is a true character. He creates outrageous atmospheres from eclectic sound sources. 13 by Ernest Woodall is a collection of 13 compositions, each of which deals with or recognizes a different superstition. The pieces have just enough dissonance and just enough melody for balance. This is modern avant-garde for the new millennium. It will appeal to fans of Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros, and Dmitri Shostakovich. – Review by Jim Brenholts