Jolie Holland is basically the American KT Tunstall and like her counterpart, Jolie is a whizz on the acoustic guitar and here gentle melodic ballads are easy on the ear. Her alternative pop/folk sound is not over complicated and in some ways, its simplicity makes it special. Each track has a steady tempo and instead of focusing on trying to do something different, Jolie uses some tight guitar playing and some pretty astonishing vocals to blow away the audience.
The New York girl sounds like she’s been dumped in an American desert left with only a guitar and, erm, a recording studio. Her talent has got her a lot of attention in the folk world and her lyrical balance is what many say separates her from other song writers.
Jolie’s more recent material is an improvement from her earlier records, which are not bad themselves, but there is one track that stands out. Crowd favourite “Mexico City” is everything you want from a bluesy folk song. Jolie sings with great conviction whilst keeping a chirpy guitar rhythm at the same time. “Palmyra” is another obvious track to chose to give a listen. The track progresses nicely and gradually gets bigger and bigger in tone and sound as the instruments and vocals come to life.
Jolie, like all artists, has her critics and some say that she doesn’t come up with enough hits. Well the consistent quality you get from a Jolie Holland album is good enough to satisfy me and she is certainty going to have a bright career ahead of her.
iTunes have announced 10 days of gigs starting next Thursday as part of their iTunes Live series. All the gigs will be available to download from iTunes after the 10 day festival is over. 
The Forestry Commission has announced their artists for summer 2008’s summer series. This year sees KT Tunstall, The Charlatans, Crowded House and Status Quo all rock various forests around the UK. 
By Steve on Friday, 13th February 2009 at 2:56 pm
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