Music-infused audiobook, Ordinary Soil by Alex Woodard, is available now, performed by legendary narrator Scott Brick
Hello again, dear audiobooks friends! Today’s spotlight article is dedicated to Ordinary Soil, a music-infused audiobook by Alex Woodard.
I am a huge fan of Scott Brick, having listened to hundreds of audiobooks narrated by him. He is definitely one of my favorite narrators in the audiobooks industry, so I am convinced that I will have a great time with Ordinary Soil.
Woody Harrelson says songwriter and acclaimed novelist Alex Woodard‘s Ordinary Soil is “a call to action for all of us.” His timely climate fiction is the first book to spotlight the devastating scientific link between the farmer suicide crisis and environmental toxins and soil degradation.
According to the American National Rural Health Association, farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than those in any other profession – a staggering figure that underscores the hidden cost of modern agriculture. As lawsuits mount against agrochemical giants, singer-songwriter, author, and storyteller Alex Woodard steps into the conversation with a gripping and emotional novel that bridges science, ancestral trauma, and environmental urgency.
When a young farmer, burdened by a mysterious family legacy and modern-day despair, attempts to take his life beneath a rotting burial elm, he sets off a chain of events that uncovers long-buried secrets. At the center of this haunting story lies a startling revelation: the path to healing our bodies and minds may begin in the soil itself.
Woodard, known for his powerful storytelling and artistic sensitivity, seamlessly blends peer-reviewed scientific insights with a deeply personal narrative while teaming up with the legendary Scott Brick, who lends his narration to the audiobook. The result is both a wake-up call and a balm – a novel that doesn’t just illuminate the problem but dares to offer what so many are searching for: hope. Ordinary Soil speaks to a cultural moment — and a human truth — that can no longer be ignored.
Alex Woodard has toured nationally behind several critically acclaimed albums, earning a few prestigious industry nods while sharing the stage with some of his heroes. His “For The Sender” book, album, and concert series has garnered praise from the Huffington Post (“important, enlightening, and ultimately inspiring”), Deepak Chopra (“a beautiful tribute to the resilience of the human spirit”), Dr. Wayne Dyer (“an inspiring, thought-provoking, and life-changing work”), and Billboard magazine (“one of the year’s most touching, unique releases”), among others.
Alex lives with three horses, two dogs, two chickens, and two beautiful humans on a small ranch near the California coast. Find out more at www.alexwoodard.com.
Actor, writer, and award-winning audiobook narrator Scott Brick certainly knows how to tell a story, in a way that keeps publishers, best-selling and award-winning authors, critics, and the public at large begging for more.
Hailed by Audible in 2012 as their most prolific narrator, Brick has narrated almost 900 audiobooks, including titles such as: Jurassic Park, the Jack Reacher series, Alexander Hamilton, the Hunt for Red October, The Passage trilogy, In Cold Blood, the Bourne trilogy, Atlas Shrugged, Helter Skelter, Fahrenheit 451, and the Dune series.
Born on January 30, 1966, in Santa Barbara, California, Brick studied both acting and writing at UCLA and joined the ranks of working professionals upon leaving school in 1989. Lauded by critics for his stage work, Brick spent ten years with the LA-based traveling Shakespeare troupe, Will & Company, appearing in productions of Cyrano, Hamlet, Macbeth, and many others, and went on to appear in films such as Hit Parade, written and directed by comic book writer and co-Ben 10 creator, Joe Casey.
During this time, Brick continued writing. Having written hundreds of articles in a variety of genre publications such as Wizard Magazine, Toyfare, Comics Buyer’s Guide, and Creative Screenwriting, Brick was then hired by Morgan Freeman and Revelations Entertainment in 2000 to write the screen adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama, with David Fincher attached to direct.
In 2005, he collaborated with author Orson Scott Card to adapt a collection of the author’s short stories for the stage in a production titled (and printed in hardcover as) Posing as People.
Having just celebrated his 25th Audioversary, Brick’s venture into audiobooks is now considered legendary. To date, he’s won over 65 Earphones Awards for his narrating skills, as well as five Audie Awards, five SOVAS Awards for voiceover, and a Grammy nomination for the multi-cast recording of The Mark of Zorro (2011).
After recording 250 titles in his first five years, Audiofile Magazine named Brick “one of the fastest-rising stars in the audiobook galaxy,” and proclaimed him a Golden Voice, but it was the Wall Street Journal that sealed the moniker with a front-page article in November 2004.
Publishers Weekly then honored Brick as Narrator of the Year in both 2007 and 2011. That honor was followed up with another feature in the WSJ in 2019 and a recent appearance on the CBS Sunday Morning news show.
And the ultimate distinction – being inducted into the Audible Narrator’s Hall of Fame in 2018. Having now recorded over 1,000 audiobooks, Brick has no intention of slowing down. He obviously won’t be happy until he’s recorded every book ever published.
I will return soon with a full review for Ordinary Soil, but until then, take care, stay safe, and don’t forget, always listen with your heart!
Victor Dima is an internationally recognized Audiobooks Industry specialist, consultant, insider and reviewer with almost 10,000 helpful votes on Audible. Listened to more than 1,400 audiobooks, have written reviews for almost 400 and rated close to 800 of them. If you want Victor to review your audiobook or if you need help with choosing the right narrator, you can get in touch at reviews@theaudiobookblog.com
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