Lonnie Holley - Oh Me Oh My

Deeply personal, deeply moving

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Lonnie Holly is a relatively new musical love of mine, and I think once you hear his voice you will understand why! He has a sound that is mesmerising and totally original, and it is on full display on his latest album “Oh Me Oh My”.

Lonnie has been around for a good while, and has a lot of stories to tell. He is a visual artist as well as a musician, with the story being that he only recorded his first album in 2006 in a church in Alabama, just himself, a keyboard and a microphone. He has, by all accounts, had a tough life growing up, being born during Jim Crow America in the south. These are not my stories to tell, but they are important to hear. I would recommend doing some reading, and listening openly to his lyrics and stories.

Oh Me Oh My is a powerful album, with Lonnie telling deeply personal stories. Sometimes singing about peace and humanity, other times speaking of his experience at the Mount Meigs Julivenile Corrections centre (which, excuse my French, sounds fucked up!). The piece Mount Meigs is powerful, there is a high energy soundscape behind his storytelling which helps make this perhaps one of the most harrowing tracks on the album. Not easy listening, but important, and oh so powerful!

The first sentence of Lonnie’s bio on Spotify says that “Oh Me Oh My” is both elegant and ferocious, and I don’t think anything could be more truthful. That is exactly what this album is. You can go from listening to Mount Meigs to something like the track Kindness Will Follow Your Tears - a beautiful ballad that truly makes me quite emotional each time I hear it.

It would be a shame not to mention some of the amazing guest artists on this album also - Bon Iver, Moor Mother, Sharon Van Etten, Rokia Koné, Michael Stipe and Jeff Parker. All these guests make such a huge impact, bringing so much depth to the tracks they are on. A highlight for me is If We Get Lost They Will Find Us featuring Rokia Koné, a beautiful Malian singer. Simply gorgeous!

Lonnie was in Melbourne this year (I think he played all around Australia) performing at the Recital Centre. It was such an experience to be there to let the music wash over me. I think the most beautiful part of the whole night was seeing the love and respect the entire band had for Lonnie. You could feel that this was more than just a show, this was an opportunity to share a moment with someone they love. You could feel this in the audience too, it was a special night for everyone.

Oh Me Oh My is an album I think can, and should be listened to over and over again, you’ll hear something new every time!