Claire Holley: Music

Hush (2008)

Track Listing

1. Visit Me
2. Innisfree
3. Wedding Day
4. Go Away Now
5. Another Day
6. Simple Meals
7. Under the Moon
8. Stars Fell On Alabama
9. Goin West
10. Edge of a Storm
11. Leaving This Town
12. Say Goodnight

“See Rock City” (2006)

Claire was commissioned to write original music for Arlene Hutton’s play “See Rock City” which premiered at The Crossley Theatre in Hollywood September 2006.

The LA Weekly nominated Claire for "Best Original Music" for the LA Weekly theatre awards for the "See Rock City" songs.

"It is high-quality work in the best theatrical sense and will likely be a future standard for theatre companies...." and of Claire's music, "the atmosphere is well-suited to the unfolding story." —Backstage West

Live at St. Andrew's (2005)

Caroline Herring and Claire Holley

Mississippi Homecoming Turns into Live Album for Two Native Daughters

Track Listing

1. Oh My (Holley)
2. Lay My Burden Down (Herring)
3. In the Bounty of the Lord (Holley) MP3
4. Whippoorwill (Herring)
5. 300 Boys (Holley) MP3
6. MGM Grand (Herring)
7. Wildwood Flower (Traditional) MP3
8. Under The Moon (Holley)
9. Mississippi Snow (Herring)
10. Man of Sorrows (Traditional)
11. Trace (Herring)
12. 6 Miles to McKenney (Holley)
13. Unclouded Day (Traditional)

What Mississippians are saying about this recording

• "…makes you stop what you're doing and listen …" — Cary Hudson, Cary Hudson Trio and formerly of Blue Mountain
• "Their combined talents create a sound that is true in every sense of the word." — Lyn Roberts, Director of Thacker Mountain Radio
• "…Two of the finest song stylists in the South …" — Charles Reagan Wilson, Director of the Center for The Study of Southern Culture
• "Caroline and Claire are state treasures." — Malcolm White, owner of Hal&Mals and Director of Mississippi Arts Commission

Dandelion (2003)

Track Listing

1. 6 Miles to McKenney MP3
2. Dandelion MP3
3. Henry's
4. Sugar
5. Waiting for the Whales
6. Love Never Came MP3
7. Playground
8. The Singer
9. Tread Softly (instrumental)
10. Waving Goodbye
11. The Deep

For Dandelion, her latest release on Yep Roc records, Claire Holley wanted to try something new. "I'd been admiring bands that could jam, where it was more about the feel of the live performance. I wanted that kind of energy in this record. I wanted to sing well-written songs, but I also wanted musicians playing in a room together, where they could make eye contact and change the way they approached the song based on what the other players were doing." It was an inspired impulse, and has resulted in a record that blends Claire's proven singing and songwriting talents with the tight, rollicky sound of a club band performance. For the new project, Claire challenged herself to step away from the familiar. For this she turned to engineer and co-producer Steve Graham. "When he and I discussed my thoughts on a new project, he sympathized with my desire to make a more organic-sounding record. He wanted to help me turn it up a notch, to bring out the edge and sass and attitude in the songs by putting together a strong rhythm section, while still paying attention to the vocal and the acoustic guitar." They recorded the album in a spacious room with classic equipment — tubes, tape, and vintage instruments — an approach that helped give the record its warm, intimate vibe. Also essential was that Claire bring in musicians who could take advantage of a fairly free, live recording atmosphere, not merely memorizing parts, but contributing to the songs with energy and creativity. Her voice is shaded alternately by wistfulness, anger, melancholy, mischief, and plain fun. But throughout there's a sweetness, a rightness to this music that is fast becoming Claire Holley's trademark, a distinctive sound that makes Dandelion convincing, and beautiful.

A Few Quotes About Dandelion

• "Mississippi songwriter swaps acoustic-lite for country rock.
  "Dandelion moves Holley into rockier territory without losing the intimacy and vivid observation that made her first album so enjoyable.  With Rob Seals's punchy guitar central to the new sound, Six Miles To McKenney bounces along like an old Chevy, Lover Never Came To Me is a sturdy, bottleneck blues, while the title track is delightfully complex. Lyrically adventurous — Waiting For The Whales has Hank, having been bullied by his friends to go whale watching, grimily hanging onto his greasy breakfast, determined to get his money's worth — it's a successful change of gear." — Rob Beattie in Q (London), October 2003, p. 108
• "On the charming Dandelion, this sweet-voiced Mississippian displays the instincts of a master short-story writer, crafting vivid, folkie vignettes of everyday folks, eccentric and otherwise. Supported by a sure-handed band that boogies deftly on '6 Miles to McKenney,' but mostly stays under wraps, Holley hints discreetly at emotions that run deep, never succumbing to unseemly excess." — HARP Magazine
• "Simulaneously sweet and gruff, she can sing luxuriant, summer-drenched ballads with the best of them, but there's something of the honky-tonker lurking underneath. It's a quality that gives her records a rough-and-tumble sexiness — like Rickie Lee Jones singing John Prine." — PASTE Magazine
• "Her lovely soprano, detailed lyrics and intimate story-songs never overwhelm the shape-shifting melodies and her easy-rolling charm, making for a captivating-yet-casual listening experience." — CREATIVE LOAFING (Atlanta)
• "Holley's supple, silvery voice sounds completely at home in these surroundings, with guitars, drums and bass discreetly weaving around her. Right off the bat, Dandelion (her fourth album) sounds special..." — Parke Puterbaugh WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL
• "Each song, the listener finds, is worth repeating, each portrait worth a second look." — IMAGE
• " Claire put a lot of trust in the creative team she assembled to interpret her songs, and that trust shows up in the spontaneity and vibe of this mostly live recording. There is an ease and a freedom to this record that I find refreshing. Nowhere is that freedom more apparent than in Claire's stunning voice. She explores the profound and the profane with equal wonder and grace." — Rob Seals, co-producer and lead guitar player
• "It was more about the performance than perfection — letting the song do what it needed to do, and not beating the life out of it. We were trying to make a record that was more about feel and being in the moment than getting a clean, corrected piece of work." — Steve Graham, producer/engineer, bass player

Additional links:

• http://www.fishrecords.co.uk/reviews/dandelion.htm

Claire Holley (2001)

Track Listing

1. Oh My
2. Sea Boy
3. Billy and Me
4. Sleep, Sleep RA
5. In My Garden
6. The Lamppost
7. Abilene
8. Looking for Signs
9. Pennsylvania Town RA
10. Mississippi
11. Heyward Avenue RA

RA = Real Audio File

Produced by: John Plymale and Claire Holley

Musicians include: Claire, Rob Seals, Nic Brown, Steve Graham, Ben Coy, Steve Watson, Doug Largent and Chad Holley

Track Notes

1. Inspired by my grandmother, Virginia Hitchcock, who lived in Augusta, Georgia and liked to make fudge for her neighbors and christmas ornaments for the First Baptist christmas tree.
2. John tried to get me chorus happy on this one. You should've seen the lengths he went.
3. Most of this vocal take was the scratch we used to record the rhythm tracks. John told me I had to get into the feel of it more, even for a scratch take. He had a point.
4. Rob likes to call this the Deep Space 9 mix. One of my favorite moments in the studio was recording these key parts, as Rob laid down the electric guitar tracks. I was fortunate to have a special family member on the background vocals.
5. Recorded live w/Doug and Rob. Overdubbed background vocals and roadcase a few days after. Love that roadcase.
6. Oldest song on the record. Tried it on piano, but ended up sticking with guitar.
7. Steve Watson who played pedal steel assured me that Abilene, Texas had plenty of cattle on the plains.
8. I took some liberty on my pronunciation of that town in Ohio. A fun song to play with the Dan Electro.
9. One of the songs I remember feeling the most connected with when recording vocals. One of Sidecar's (R.S.) best solos on the record.
10. The lone instrumental. I like the way John kept it low-fi in the mix.
11. A street in Cincinnati quite near photographer Michael Wilson's home. He tells me there really are St. Bernards there.

Press Highlights

• "Even working with a full band for the first time...nothing here seems out of place. Every tambourine shake, every slide part, every harmony is there for a reason. There's not one bit of artifice, not one nod to pop star fancy — just Claire and her world of the spirit." — Triad Style
• "The [record] is a textured journey that takes in views both poignant and playful. Holley's pure voice resonates with sweet passion, percolates with sass, haunts with remembrance or yearns with determined hope. "Oh My" is wrapped in the fragile weight of family memory. "In My Garden" sings out with sly attitude. "Sea Boy" joyously rocks in the moment while the dreamy "Sleep Sleep" lulls with a romantic touch." — The Clarion-Ledger
• "She's accompanied by a sympathetic band of bass, drums and electric guitar, but her sparkling acoustic guitar is always front and center, a plangent partner to her voice's sweet twang. An evocative, literate and luminous recording." — Acoustic Guitar
• "A highly skilled instrumentalist, Holley....has a way with a melody, as well, writing strong hooks into every one of the songs on the new album." — Performing Songwriter
• "Here Holley's clear soprano floats atop sparkling melodies that descend unexpectedly into minor-chord brooding; she has a touch of Dolly Parton's fallen-angel coyness. But her phrasing and intonation are more urbane, and she summons deep emotion without emoting. " — Chicago READER

Sanctuary (1999)

Track Listing

1. In the Bounty of the Lord RA
2. Fly Away Old Bird RA
3. Come Thou Fount RA
4. What a Friend We Have In Jesus
5. Higher Ground RA
6. Now the Green Blade Riseth
7. Once in Royal David's City
8. Joy to the World
9. Man of Sorrows RA
10. Jacob's Ladder
11. In the Bounty (Reprise)

RA = Real Audio File

Press Highlights

• A visionary collection of traditional hymns and gospel songs set to Claire's own arrangements. Co-produced by John Plymale, Sanctuary's earthy instrumentation — mandolin, dobro, upright bass — blends distinctively with Claire's soulful voice.
• "…frankly put, Sanctuary is a beautiful recording..." — ESP Review, Greensboro, NC
• "This is an excellent project for any fan of acoustic based music." — True Tunes Reviews
• "Holley's arrangements give the CD a serene, illuminating quality." — Greensboro News & Record
• "Claire's Sanctuary certainly strikes a chord with the listeners on 'Back Porch Music.' Every time we play 'Bounty of the Lord' or 'Come Thou Fount' the phones ring and ring. We liked it so much we included a track on our Best of Back Porch Music CD!" — Keith Weston, WUNC 91.5 Chapel Hill, NC

Night Air (1997)

Track Listing

1. Take Me for a Ride
2. Like a Child
3. Keeper of the Crows
4. Smoke
5. Gold Instead of Steel
6. Two Old Trees
7. Rehearsing His Words
8. Old Woman
9. Mary Visits Elizabeth
10. Blackbook
11. Night Air

A Claire worked with producers John Plymale (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Kim Richey) and Bryan Rheude on her debut album. With its voice-driven, Americana style, the album offers tracks that demonstrate just what Claire can do with a full band behind her, while at other times showing how by herself she can strip a song down to the pure, bare bones. John Hiler (Liz Phair) mixed several of the tracks on Night Air.

Press Highlights

• "…showcases Holley's strong vocal abilities and her voice's unique tone and quality… Night Air is an impressive first (and mostly solo) effort." — The Spectator, Raleigh, NC
• "The album neatly avoids stereotypical subject matter and cookie-cutter lyrics; Holley's music is personal and affective." — The Wheaton Record, Wheaton, IL