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Reviews
In Full View
Barry Holdship Barry Holdship grabs
the ghosts of “rock and roll past” and shakes them up on Ruff
Trax, his second album. His influences include the usual suspects: Buddy
Holly, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Bobby Fuller and, yes the King. But
that’s just context.The substance stands on its own two dancin’
feet. From the country twang of the opener, BARRY HOLDSHIP * Among many benefits of living in L.A. is Art Fein’s annual Elvis’ birthday bash (January 8), a public gathering of the faithful at which a coterie of rockabilly cats, loungers, punkers and names (Dwight Yokam, Doug Fieger, Dave Alvin) cover a wide assortment of things by the King. For the last several years, I’ve found Barry Holdship’s two- or three-song sets to be one of the night’s highlights. The ex-Michigan Angeleno always hits that late ’50s/early ’60s Presley pocket– you know, “Devil in Disguise,” “One Broken Heart for Sale”– and he just kills. Holdship’s latest album
of original songs, Ruff Trax (Bad Axe Records), runs off that same pre-Beatlespop-rock
energy. You’ll also hear jangle-folk, Del Shannon, a bit of frat
(that S. Medallions quote in “Hearts Won’t Lie”), Armed
Forces (the other Elvis) and a dollop of P.F. Sloan (“Nothing Means
More Than This”). But the net result is always fresh, integrated,
something new, rather like the work of major synthesists Bobby Fuller
and Marshall Crenshaw: aware of the precedents, inspired by (uniformly
cool) influences, yet solidly their own men. If you don’t think
anyone can pull off this kind of unaffected rock ’n’ roll
anymore, dig “Where to From Here?,” “We’d Be Good
Together” (rockabilly-meets-gum) or the instantly classic “Fractured
Lullaby” and think again.
Barry Holdship Ruff Trax CD (Bad Axe) Chock-full of catchy pop ditties,
Holdship’s CD of originals is stamped with vintage melodies that
would fit seamlessly into a soundtrack of sixties standards. His resonant
vocals are backed with guitar and some nice upfront piano solos in an
enjoyable mix.
"He’s a little bit
Buddy Holly, a touch of Roy Orbison, a smidgen of Bobby Fuller and one
hell of a songwriter and vocalist. He’s Barry Holdship, and his
Ruff Trax CD sounds smooth as silk to these ears. It’s modern pop-a-billy
(with lovely ballads!) the way God and Norman Petty probably intended.
The whole deal sounds a lot like a cross between Orbison and Bobby Fuller,
but not really retro at all. The little catch in Barry’s voice on
heartfelt ballads such as his “Give Your Heart to Me” and
“A Fractured Lullaby” brings a tear to this hardened reporters
eye, while We’d Be Good Together sounds like what Huey Lewis might
have sounded like, had Huey Lewis not been a steaming pile of poop."
From a musical standpoint at
least, Barry Holdship lives in a world of perpetual nostalgia, and for
this he makes no apologies. He worships at the altar of Sun Records, Ricky
Nelson, Roy Orbison and The Fab Four, among others, and longs for the
days when such radio icons as CKLW and WABC ruled the waves. His latest
CD, Ruff Trax, is very much a reflection of his musical psyche, as it
features 15 tunes, which are as authentically old school as a carhop on
roller skates. People may be quick to criticize
works that are unashamedly retro, but when you're talking about an album
as good as Ruff Trax, that kind of howl should be reserved for the wind. Barry Holdship Ostensibly, Barry Holdship
appears to be drawing inspiration from the pioneering days of rock ‘n’
roll where country melded with blues in the form of Elvis Presley. That’s
one way of looking at the music on Ruff Trax. My perspective? Again, it’s
the early 80s when new wave re-packaged the pre-Beatles era and the likes
of Marshall Crenshaw, Elvis Costello, Rockpile etc gained deserved prominence.
So if that’s all your cup of tea, then this sincere evocation is
for you. Ruff Trax Barry Holdship Holdship is yet another artist who wears his appreciation of retro-pop on his sleeve. "Nothing Means More Than This" and "A Fractured Lullabye" jangle profusely, and "Where To From Here?" is not far behind. Someday, pop fans may treasure this as much as material by the Toms and Mark Johnson.Eric Sorensen Fufkin.com/January 2005 Barry Holdship/Ruff Trax Bad Axe Records GREAT!!"Straight-ahead, no frills, Merseybeat-acknowledged, 60’s AM radio-like guitar pop! Barry’s strong voice has qualities that remind one of singers like Roy Orbison, Jay Black, Del Shannon, Chris Isaak, Gene Pitney and even slightly tougher versions of Greg Kihn and Jon Rubin! Not bad company – eh? Musically the band is a hybrid of The Stone Canyon Band, The Attractions + The Wonders!" Kool Kat Music/Febuary 2005
Barry Holdship was born to sing ‘50s style rock and roll, with his big voice that is perfect for swooning, pining and, sometimes, hurting. He really knows his strengths and writes songs to highlight them. If you're a fan of Billy Swan, Chris Isaak, Henry Gross, Rocky Burnette or just good old rock and roll, you will likely be in heaven. Another good reference point would be some of the rock oriented work of The Mavericks. While I wouldn't say Holdship is as good a singer as Raul Malo, it's certainly not an unfair comparison. The songs here are so classic. "Nothing Means More Than This" is one of the tracks that makes me think of the aforementioned Mavericks. It's a bouncy mid-tempo jaunt, and Holdship belts out blissfully. The song is economical, both lyrically and in how quickly it moves from verse to bridge to chorus. This song could have been penned in 1958 or 1964 or during the rockabilly revival in the early ‘80s. The middle eight is killer -- Holdship knows this, so it crops up twice, book ending a terrific guitar solo (with a hint of twang): "Cause I've been aching just to be/I've shaking all those things/that died inside of me." On "We'd Be Good Together", there's a mild Tex-Mex feel. There's some horns (they may be artificial, but they sound like horns) and another buoyant rhythm. This song really shows how Holdship takes advantage of his vocal prowess. The melody swoops and soars, and drops at points, just so he can take off again. He sounds so joyous on this song. While I don't think that giving mix tapes or CD-Rs in an effort to get a woman to love you has ever really worked, this song stands as good a chance as any of turning unrequited love into real love. Another cool twist (that you might be able to twist to, though I'll leave that up to you) is the murky ska tinged "Walking in My Dreams". The song also has an organ part that gives it a little garage rock flavor, which is hammered home by guest Robbie Rist's spooky cool guitar solo. This song really sounds like a lost gem from the New Wave era, and it's only flaw is that it could have run another minute or two. How often can you say that a song is too short? There's an undercurrent of real old school R & B on some songs. "Give Your Heart to Me" is a ‘50s ballad that is as much in the tradition of The Platters and The Drifters as the dewy eyed pleas for love from Roy Orbison and Gene Pitney. On "Hearts Won't Lie", a lilting groove is laid down in the verses, mixing a Rascals vibe with Holdship's patented ‘50s style. The basic message I'm trying to convey here is that while Holdship's music has a very specific foundation, he finds different twists and textures to keep this from being the same song over and over again. The consistency comes in the performance and the character of the songs. Even when lamenting a broken heart, Holdship exudes a joy -- he seems to be a glass half full kind of guy. This makes the record an uplifting piece of entertainment.Now, there are 15 tracks on
here, which may be a few too many. But much like the most recent Fountains
of Wayne album, it would be very hard to come up with a consensus as to
what tracks to cull, since there are no obvious duff tracks. Let's see
-- a few of his songs are good enough that I wish they were longer, and
the album could be a bit more concise, though there are no bad songs.
Yes, I'm really stretching to find anything less than positive to say
about this disc. This glass is way more than half full. Holdship is keeping
some rock tradition alive. Alive and kicking.
Barry Holdship is a rockin'
dude. Seriously, I mean, I know the guy. Have known him for a long time.
Knew him when he dropped his pants and mooned a Burger King in Ann Arbor.
Saw him run. Fast. The dude could sing then. The dude can sing now. The
dude can write, too. Not jagged sentence fragments like this. Songs. Nice
Songs. Look at the titles here. Look like Morrissey songs, don't they?
But listen. They don't sound like Morrissey songs. They sound "informed"
by something. Do you know what that means? I don't. I hear Barry Holdship
and think, "This is a rockin' dude who takes elements of classis
rock 'n' roll and pure pop and combines them in a unigue manner! This
is a dude who has a tremor in his voice! This is a man of action!"
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