The new CD "What I Gave Away" from Holden Richards features new songs and an excellent cast of musicians. Just a few of the notables on the new record are Lynn Blakey( Tres Chicas) and John Chumbris( Gloryfountain) Logan Matheny (Roman Candle) as well as Dale Baker (Sixpence None the Richer).
On the U.S front this month I received a couple of (loosely defined) singer-songwriter CD's. Holden Richards is a veteran of North Carolina's punk-rock and indie scene. He's played with the likes of the Replacements, Richard Lloyd and Alex Chilton. His most recent album What I Gave Away is an accomplished half-hour of lush Alt. countrified power pop. There are shades of The Byrds, Will Ford and Steven Stills throughout, and the songs slyly alternate from pleasant to poignant ("I Fall Prey").
On his brand new What I Gave Away, 20-year NC music vet Holden
Richards--punker with the Pound Notes, folk rocker with One Plus Two, and
popper with the Swamis--dizzies you with melody and then reels you in on one
of hundreds of insistent hooks, claiming the perfect middle ground between
Roy Orbison and Bill Lloyd. Gracefully constructed songs like "Losers Day,"
"Let's Just Talk About the Weather," and "So Cool" bring to mind the smart
pop/rock of Chris Stamey, who guests on the album-opening title track. Other
guests read like a Triangle music scene who's who, with Jeff Hart, Lynn
Blakey, John Chumbris, Wes Lachot, Mike Nicholson, and Brent Lambert among
those who drop by. But What I Gave Away is Richards' show, and every lesson
he's learned in two decades of music making is put on luminous display.
" ...What I Gave Away is a pure pop album. The tunes ring with chiming guitars and hummable melodies. This is not underground crap, but rather pop music in the classic sense... "
"Richards looks like Buddy Holly and sounds a bit like Wilco with a side order of catchy pop hooks ala Marshall Crenshaw. Check out 'Losers Day' and you'll see exactly what I mean. Other standouts are 'What I Gave Away' and 'Lets Just Talk About The Weather'. Oh, and I also dig the exotic rhythms of 'I Don't Know'".
UCLA College Radio - Recent Airplay Advance "What I gave Away" Review
Featuring the talents of many pop greats, including Chris Stamey, Jeff Hart and Mike Nicholson(Stratocruiser), "What I Gave Away" sounds more classic with each listen. The lead off track "What I Gave Away" is produced by Chris Stamey and reminds me of the strongest Roy Orbison tracks on The Traveling Wilburys debut. Vocally, Richards sounds a lot like a one-octave lower Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney and Chris Issak. Musically, it`s a romantic, jangly acoustic-driven bit of soaring, yet somber jubilation! A panoply of cool, timeless sounds and healthy doses of acoustic jangle with texture and nuance. Richard`s previous band was called The Swamis and like that band, his solo effort should appeal to the SouthEastern flavor of such artists as Bobby Sutliff and Tim Lee(The Windbreakers, collectively) and Bill Lloyd. IT`s a beautiful, haunting and mystifyingly charming release. Very Highly Recommended!
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