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is a spooky yet beautiful offering by one of our best musical poets; a true outsider trying to come in from the cold.
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As always, her uniquely sooty voice gives her the feeling of an old soul while lending levity to her darker songs.
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It’s a shade more rock and roll, an ounce more blunt, a great deal of fun, and it documents an increasingly confident artist wielding prime, unpretentious material.
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She's never been as in control of her voice, an incredible instrument that is as strong as it is attractive. And on The Living and the Dead, it's found just the right setting.
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In 'Your Big Hands,' she and her pals work up a rowdy roadhouse groove worthy of Car Wheels–era Lucinda Williams. And 'Mexico City' has ringing ’60s-pop guitar twinkles that give her melancholy travelogue a welcome splash of whimsy.
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Holland’s fourth--and perhaps best--album (featuring contributions from collaborator M. Ward and guitarist Marc Ribot) foregoes the smoky speakeasy atmosphere of 2006’s Springtime Can Kill You for a more contemporary roots sound, which provides a more evocative backdrop for her signature vocals.
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The good news is that the album is downright delightful. The bad news is that if you've followed Holland since her first release, you're probably not looking for an album that's merely consistent singer/songwriter fare: no, you want the highs and the lows.
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FilterThe Living And The Dead serves as the latest chapter in Holland's story, and here the lady troubadour continues with a writer's knack for making every next page better than the last. [Fall 2008, p.102]
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Retro-atmospherics guru M. Ward and grizzled guitar genius Marc Ribot leave their dusty fingerprints. Holland leaves behind a trail of her own.
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Under The RadarHolland has gathered together chronicles of her life and created a patchwork quilt of evocative songs rendered in her smoky folk-blues singing voice. [Fall 2008, p.76]
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While keeping the same mix of hushed beauty and spooky old-time feel, Holland seems much more direct and confident, a forwardness that risks losing some of the mystery, but instead ups the awe factor.
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Holland has a soft spot for sad sacks --the "ghost-faced junkie" of 'Corrido por Buddy,' the lover who made her "little heart a graveyard" on 'Palmyra'--but her honeyed harmonies keep the mood from getting too gloomy.
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The music--Holland co-produced the disc--is stripped to its essence but is often upbeat and graceful with cameos by guitarists M. Ward and Marc Ribot.
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However much she slurs her lines on this fine fourth album, the shabby rockers and frayed ballads cut deep. [Nov 2008, p.93]
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Former Be Good Tanya delivers modern americana nugget.
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Her new disc is a sweet, infectious collection of alt-country that tackles broken hearts (Palmyra) and Jack Kerouac (Mexico City).
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UncutThe Living And The Dead finds her broadening her palette, enlisting Tom Waits guitarist Marc Ribot to bring a miore rock flavour. It's only partially successful. [Nov 2008, p.102]
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Q MagazineWith ace guitarist Marc Ribot on board, it's rockier than her three previous outings--but in a good way. [Nov 2008, p.121]
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MojoA few songs confirm her gifts....More often, self-satisfaction takes over and the final track's dull. [Nov 2008, p.108]