Jon-Olov Woxlin – Obviously just like Robert Milkwood
Marking an impressive twelfth LP release, Jon-Olov Woxlin, a native of Sweden, is set to release Obviously just like Robert Milkwood on October 12, 2026. The LP features Woxlin (here) as a one-man-band while he tells wicked tales atop classic folk music. Obviously just like Robert Milkwood (“Robert Milkwood” was a pseudonym used by Bob Dylan, FYI) contains fourteen songs of pure folk heaven. For some added context, Nick Sessanna delightfully reviewed Woxlin’s past work, JUNK TRUNK, three years ago if interested.
The album opener, “Where do I begin,” starts with intricate acoustic guitar plucking in the left ear and the warm hum of harmonica in the right. Woxlin’s accurate vibrato is almost akin to a chorus pedal, and the guitar strumming is very technical to say the least. His accent is slight, yet inviting. The bright twang of his acoustic six-string is consistent and comforting.
We traverse the album to song three, “Closer to closure,” in which the guitar bounds from the bottom strings to the treble of the thinner strings. Woxlin admits, “I’m glad that you are out of sight / Otherwise I’d have gone insane…” referring to his intense yearning for a beautiful woman. His songs prattle about the things people usually keep to themselves, with the lyrical content infested with the blues.
Track six, “Beneath your boot,” offers sounds of acceptance musically. Woxlin’s lyricism turns cheeky when he hints at the big F-word. He writes of a hedonistic, temporary paradise that those who favor short-term pleasures over long-term commitments seem to be seeking. Woxlin even sings about the psychological tendency to pursue unknowable answers when facing uncertainty.
Listening past tunes six and seven makes one realize that Woxlin’s talent is ostensibly effortless and supremely natural. The interesting content of “10 brave rebels” is buttressed by a guitar that has rightfully taken it down a notch. The short story tells of ten soldiers being picked off one-by-one: sometimes by the doings of their enemy; sometimes at the hands of a paranoid comrade. While the soldiers are risking their lives in optimistic rebellion, Woxlin notes that the brutal reality of war is that it confounds those who suffer through it.
“Traveling abroad” is song eleven, and Woxlin’s musical talent is recorded and enacted gracefully. The baritone vocals and guitar arpeggios piggyback off one another playfully. “The muddy dirt road that lies ahead / Symbolizes all the things that’ve been tread…” articulates that the beaten path is shared by many. Woxlin then speaks about poverty, and how the poor can turn to crime for profit.
Before the fourteenth and final song is track thirteen, “The tragedy of Michael and Iana Straws.” Woxlin converses about the story of the Straws. The couple had a baby, but due to greed and a lack of responsibility, the Straws neglect feeding their newborn. Apparently, the internet, the computer that allows access to the World Wide Web, and inheriting $100,000 were more important than a human life.
All in all, Obviously just like Robert Milkwood is a fantastic, tried-and-true effort by Jon-Olov Woxlin. The collection features lyrical content and delivery that tells tales of woe plenty will relate to. However, the music seems relaxed and straightforward, offering a hand to hold as you accept the bittersweetness of life. Obviously just like Robert Milkwood is FFO Bob Dylan, Neil Young, with hints of Johnny Cash. You can preview Woxlin’s newest collection, which releases on October 12, 2026, here, and his previous work on Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Jake Sessanna