Royal Wood - Photograph

With a velvet baritone voice and a memory to pay honor to, Royal Wood gives us his sentimental self, and opens up a heartfelt melody and a plaintive duet with the very talented Jessica Mitchell. At its center, this feels like a meeting between Leonard Cohen and Rufus Wainwright: the lyrical gravitas, and the pure melodic joy, joined over the euphonious tones of a harmonium.

And beyond that is the clear outline of a thematic legacy: the musical space that is now belonging to a voice and a heart that has left an imprint on the world. This is a wonderful and soothing ode to a life well-lived from a loving son, to a father who must be proud at this very moment.

John Royal Wood Nicholson is a singer and songwriter from Toronto. This song is featured on our Roots Collection playlist.