Jolie Holland

Jolie Holland’s music unfolds on a nocturnal parallel to so many other solid acoustic singer-songwriter acts. Holland can twang and psychoanalyze with the best, sure, but there’s always something to keep it from sounding typical, from the dark, story-filled coves her lyrics carve out to the thick-voweled swells of her voice (often compared to a jazz singer, but also often recalling a mix of Lucinda Williams and Heartless Bastards). Not all folk or country songwriters inspire patience in a live setting, but it’s hard not to hush up and sit pretty when the effortless intimacy of Holland’s live show sinks in. On her recently released fifth album, Pint Of Blood, it’s obvious that Holland knows she doesn’t have to try hard at this point in her career. She gets points for loosening up, building a blue mood, and going with the flow—but that doesn’t keep the majority of songs on Pint Of Blood from bleeding together.

Updated 07/06/2011