Tony Holiday is proud to announce the release of his new album, Keep Your Head Up, produced by Eric Corne. The new record is out today via Forty Below Records. Order HERE
Tony Holiday has been at the center of a Memphis soul-blues revival anchored by a contingent of young, savvy, well-schooled musicians with a "family-like" attitude and a strong belief in one another. Over the past few years, He's been touring hard, taking spells in between to write and record with Producer Eric Corne in Memphis and Los Angeles. The result is this new album, Keep Your Head Up. The album demonstrates an impressive command of styles, as Holiday leads his band fluidly through Texas, Chicago, and hill country blues with plenty of Memphis soul and even a touch of Afrobeat.
Over the past couple of years, Holiday has been touring hard, taking spells in between to write and record with Producer Eric Corne in Memphis and Los Angeles. And all that hard work has come to fruition, Keep Your Head Up, is an album that covers a tremendous amount of territory over eight pithy tracks.
The album opens with the Freddie King classic "She's A Burglar," a gripping Texas Blues featuring good pal Eddie 9V on lead guitar and sharing vocal duties. Next is the intense Chicago blues flavored "Twist My Fate," written by Corne, featuring Holiday's stellar harmonica work and shared vocal duties from the incomparable Kevin Burt.
Holiday and Corne turn "A Woman Named Trouble" on its head with a fascinating Afrobeat flavor, including a riveting trumpet solo by occasional E Streeter Mark Pender before locking into some greasy Memphis soul compliments of regular collaborator AJ Fullerton on "Good Times."
Laura Chavez, last year's Blues Music Award winner for 'Guitarist of the Year' turns in a fabulous performance on the soulful, horn-laden "Shoulda Known Better" before the album shifts to a modern take on hill country blues with "Walk On The Water," written by Corne who also sings a bluegrass style harmony throughout, adding a unique flavor to the track.
Fan favorite Albert Castiglia joins Holiday with some spirited guitar and vocals on the playful Snooks Eaglin classic "Drive It Home," and Holiday shows why he's one of the finest harmonica players on the scene today, despite electing not to play the instrument on over half the songs on the album.
The record closes with a brilliant surprise, a bittersweet country soul Americana song called "I Can Not Feel The Rain," written by Holiday with help from Corne and Jad Tariq, who plays the role of Steve Cropper throughout this record.
Tony is currently receiving airplay on Sirius XM Bluesville, and there's been no shortage of praise; Blues Blast declared, “Mixing Memphis soul with Texas blues, Chicago blues, a dash of blues-rock, and a hint of hill country blues, “ Holiday has crafted a modern sound yet rooted firmly in the 1960s. It is a glorious mash-up of genres that remains true soul-blues”, Blues Rock Review opined that it is “A solid, engaging record that reinforces Holiday’s promising status in today’s blues scene.” and Blues Matters put it succinctly “Keep Your Head Up is an album of eight pieces of musical gold.”
ABOUT TONY HOLIDAY
Mentored by past legends, Holiday and his loose Memphis collective of musicians have built on the city's rich traditions and carried them forward. There's something about Tony Holiday that draws people together; The community has been at the core of Holiday's career. Since relocating from Salt Lake City to Memphis in 2017, Holiday has been at the center of a soul blues revival, anchored by a contingent of young, savvy, well-schooled musicians with a strong belief in one another.
Motel Mississippi, Holiday's last release and second solo album (2023), was recorded an hour outside Memphis in Coldwater, Mississippi, at Zebra Ranch, the studio of the late great Memphis legend Jim Dickinson (The Rolling Stones, Big Star). Combining the sounds of North Mississippi Hill Country, Delta Blues, and Memphis soul, Motel Mississippi is equal parts hypnotic blues, driving soul, and juke joint stomper.
2020’s Soul Service was before Motel Mississippi, which followed two volumes of Tony Holiday's Porch Sessions. The Porch Sessions saw Holiday traveling across the United States and throughout Europe, recording blues musicians on their very own front porches, in front of juke joints, in the countryside, and even on the front stoops of raucous night spots in bustling cities, resulting in two critically acclaimed albums. The guest list struck a balance between older legends like Grammy® winners Charlie Musselwhite and Bobby Rush, former Muddy Waters guitarist John Primer, and the iconic Lurie Bell, alongside some of Holiday's peers, Southern Avenue, Victor Wainwright, and John Németh. The latter two have been essential mentors for Holiday since his move to Memphis.
