Jolie Holland’s fifth solo release Pint of Blood finds the former founder of The Be Good Tanyas returning to a simpler style found on her earlier indie-country works. The ten songs evoke folk rock of the 70’s (think Crosby Stills Nash and Young), centering each around a unique delivery that deconstructs words and morphs their pronunciation, twisting and at times, tangling, into evocative musical elements. The Texan native’s warble at times overshadows the beauty of the sparse arrangements, but with talented backing bandmates Marc Ribot (guitar) and co-producer/multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Tom Waits) at her side, Holland never strays far. Standouts include opener, “All Those Girls”, “Wreckage” and a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Rex’s Blues.” – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Alela Diane, The Be Good Tanyas, Neko Case, Karen Dalton, Eilen Jewell, Gillian Welch