Jolie Holland
The Living and the Dead
(Anti-, 2008)

It wasn’t too long ago that Jolie Holland was merely known—if she was known at all—for her work with the female folk group Be Good Tanyas, which she co-founded. Though she’s since established herself as a buzz-worthy solo artist, Holland’s recent output has remained largely focused on the sweetly mercurial neo-folk stylings that propelled her former band over the course of three lovely, if rather ordinary, albums.

But her new LP, The Living and the Dead, is grittier than her previous solo releases and has her sounding more like Lucinda Williams than Kate Earl. While 2004’s Escondida and 2006’s Springtime Can Kill You were poignant and plaintive albums, both were heavily indebted to a distinctively chanteuse-like sensibility—earthy and intimate, but not as fulfilling as The Living and the Dead. Indeed, Holland’s latest record is no less elegant than other entries in her catalogue, but it owes more to the neo-Americana movement than its predecessors, as Holland presents an album forged at the intersection of guitar-driven rock and confessional folk.

Holland burst into the American consciousness in 2003, when Anti- signed her and officially released Catalpa, a much-heralded collection of early demos. The records that followed presented a more focused artist, but one still wed to the same highly ethereal, delicate neo-folk sensibility—leaving the impression that Holland may have been treading water a bit.

In many ways, The Living and the Dead feels like a coming-out party for Holland—the album that may help her breakthrough to a much-deserved larger audience while signaling a willingness to evolve. The arrangements on The Living and the Dead are surely more interesting than on previous releases, with over-driven guitars and weeping steels that make the songs sink and swell, imbuing the record with a momentum and dramatic tension that was previously absent (See, in particular, the marvelous “Palmyra”, one of the album’s delights). And Holland’s beautiful voice, normally so breathy and ethereal, manages to turn rough and even gravelly at times, as if signaling a deliberate break with the more delicate albums of the past. But though its character is markedly different, Holland’s voice remains, rightly, the star of the show and a thing of beauty—channeling and blending elements of jazz, folk, and rock into a unique and compelling blend.

Producer Shahzad Ismaily deserves much of the credit for the more focused and aggressive approach on The Living and the Dead, as do M. Ward and Marc Ribot, who lend their considerable instrumental talents to the record. Ward’s guitars are especially critical to the album’s success, always propelling the songs forward or providing compelling accompaniment to Holland’s voice.

The album starts strong with the marvelous trio of the lilting folk-rocker “Mexico City”, the heart-breaking chronicle of “Corrido Por Buddy”, and the aforementioned “Palmyra.” The album is filled with other small triumphs like the Gillian Welch-worthy country-folk of “Sweet Loving Man.” But the real treasures come as the record winds down. The mood becomes simultaneously loose and intimate, as if marking the end of a drunken evening where mischief and mistakes seem likely. “Love Henry” and “The Future” are slow and musky, showcasing Holland’s vocals and Ismaily’s restraint. And “Enjoy Yourself”, the album’s closer, is surely an appropriate ending—exultant, casual, and endearingly unrefined.

If The Living and the Dead showcases one consistent characteristic throughout, it’s Holland’s remarkable poeticism. Whether expressed in delicate ballads or on countrified rockers, Holland has an uncanny ability to capture a wry but sympathetic wisdom in her lyrics. This is the sound of a quickly maturing artist whose work is growing more focused with each successive release—great news for fans and perhaps even better news for those still waiting to discover a shining star with a voice to die for and a refreshingly intelligent approach to her craft.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

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