When I heard her single ‘Love & Distance’ rece
ntly I was looking forward to the rest of the album. And I’m not disappointed. A 12 song set so not overlong as so many albums are now. Kicking off with the rocky title song, this turns out to be an album of many moods. The basic currency is blues, and @Strange’ has a stinging slide guitar part over an electric piano straight out of 1976. String led ballad ‘The Coast Road’ is another aspect of her music entirely. For someone with such a strong voice on the louder songs she shows that she can give the quieter songs the more delicate touch that they need. The single is still as good as it was a few weeks ago.
From there the album quietens with ‘Girl On A Mission’ and another ballad ‘One Last Time’ this time guitar and organ carry the tune. Rogers saves her best writing until the very end of the album. ‘Sinner’, ‘The Man You Had to be’ and especially closing song ‘City of Colour’ As she is an alumnus of his songwriting retreats you can assume Chris Difford knows what he’s talking about when he calls her a “fantastic and special singer-songwriter.”
Hollie Rogers has the voice Joss Stone only imagines she has. Being able to take on the Blues Rock of ‘Criminal Heart’ the country flavours of ‘Bring me Some Peace’ and the should be a hit single ‘Love and Distance’ on the same album, put her own stamp on all these styles and produce a set of songs that is as good as anything released this year. She claims Joan Armatrading and Joni Mitchell as influences, and there is certainly some Armatrading in her delivery. The only comparable singer for quality currently is Bristol’s own Lady Nade, both of them will be stars soon. Hopefully she will land in my part of the world before too long as the live videos at her Facebook promise great things.
It may seem lazy to quote her press release at length, but it does sum this album and Rogers up pretty well. “A rights-of-passage album of an artist leaving her 20’s behind and unashamedly coming to terms with her own needs and wants in womanhood, Criminal Heart is a significant record which will stand the test of time, to be seen as an increasingly important work – standing out like a beacon in a general sea of generic and disposable music releases.”
‘Criminal Heart’ is out September 9th 2022 Buy it at her website
