STYLE: Rock RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9123-8844 LABEL: Tooth & Nail TND41242 FORMAT: CD Album RELEASE DATE: 2003-03-07 RRP: £2.03
Reviewed by Peter Bate
Brothers Will and Josiah Holland front this punchy three-piece based in Nashville with drummer Yogi providing a steel-rod backbone. Their debut CD sets off at a blistering pace with top drawer melodic rock crunchers “The Whole World”, “I’m Not Backing Down” and “Shine Like Stars” which epitomizes the band’s exuberance with lines like: “And I think we were born for this/Feel love punch you in the gut.” God-inspired energy and hope simmers in these and other rocky numbers including the catchy “The West Coast” as Holland pile up singalong choruses and nagging hooks. But grief and regret also surface on ballads like “Losing Jim” (“I cry until I bleed,” laments vocalist Will) that, refreshingly, offer no pat answers. Fair enough, Holland don’t really break any new ground on their first LP but Feeder and Foo Fighters fans won’t be disappointed. The eight-minute “Goodnight Texas” hints at new possibilities and, with a follow-up album not far away, the future might just be orange.
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