Holly Holden - Tropical Soul

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 8 / 5 / 2017

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London-based singer-songwriter Holly Holden is a busy lady it seems. She has a side project called Deep Throat Choir and is also one half of Anglo-Cuban collaborative X Planet with Cuban rapper Alayo Style. Their album 'Xistence', which was recorded in Santiago de Cuba with reggae producer Kiki Pro, was well received in Cuba and London. Holden spent her teenage years in Cornwall by the sea and much of her twenties in Bristol and Berlin. Her sound has been shaped by many years of travel, study and musical collaboration in Latin America and the Caribbean - Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic - blending bitter-sweet pop tunes with Caribbean rhythms in a fusion she calls 'Tropical Soul', which is what she has also called this mini-album. Holly toured Europe with dubstep producer Mala as a vocalist at festivals including WOMAD, Worldwide Festival, North Sea Jazz and Fiesta des Suds and, since joining forces with guitarist Frank Clarke and drummer David Beauchamp in 2014, Holly Holden y Su Banda have performed at venues across London and at international Jazz festivals in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Recently signing to Diplomats of Sound they already have a number of festival appearances lined up for Summer including the Secret Garden Party, Boomtown and Green Man. There are only six tracks on this mini album but they are all of high quality and bilingual, sultry and seductive soul pop melodies. The reggae influence is certainly evident when you listen to the main single from the album 'Run' and the awesome Latin-sung 'Mellow Drama', which is a blend of Latin lyrical reggae-tinged dubstep as is the last track, 'Born at the Right Time'. I started out thinking that a Latin reggae mix would never work but it does. It's also very diverse and drifts in and out of the rule book and has no real boundaries. Yes, it's Latin. And it's reggae. But stick 'Benji Muji Mau' on and tell me what to categorise that as? I say don't try to categorise it and just enjoy and boogie on down to it. 'Tropical Soul' comes housed in a card booklet type CD cover which is well illustrated in colourful images with artwork by Victoria Topping, a photo by Ambiorix Martinez and is complete with tracklisting and credits. Marvellous!

Track Listing:-

1 El Impulso
2 Run
3 Dead Coral
4 Mellow Drama
5 Benji Muji Mau
6 Born at the Right Time

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/hollyholdenmusik
https://twitter.com/HHoldenMusic
https://www.instagram.com/holly_holden/
https://hollyholden.bandcamp.com/
https://www.hollyholdenmusic.com/

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