Teardrops & Diamonds

For their second album, the Woodys (Dyann and Michael Woody) have kept to the simple, fresh-sounding formula that made their first release such a delight. Mixing gorgeous two-part harmonies with pop-tinged folk country melodies and jangling Byrds-like instrumentation, Teardrops & Diamonds is every bit as winning as its predecessor. Among the highlights are a rendition of Steve Earle's "Hearts Don't Break," which here sounds like a great lost Buddy Holly song, and a version of Michael Woody's own "He's Back and I'm Blue," which was a hit a few years back for Chris Hillman & the Desert Rose Band. But the centerpiece of the album is "Message From Michael," a stunning and heartbreaking song drawn from an open letter to teens that former Byrds' drummer Michael Clarke wrote after he discovered that a life of alcohol abuse was about to claim his life. Sung in the first person by the Woodys, the song is haunting and unforgettable, and deserves a wider audience, both because of its message and for its simple and direct deathbed eloquence. Seldom have the costs of the rock & roll dream and the ravaging effects of a lifetime of excess been so clearly presented, and the end result is an eerie cautionary tale from the grave by Clarke, all given the voice of the angels by this stellar husband and wife singing team.