Readers of our site are familiar with the name Joe Holt. He’s one of the singer songwriters we occasionally cover. This recent little EP Headwaters is a real delight, so I hope you’ll give it a spin and relax a bit.
Something about the rolling, sweet melody on the first track “Headwaters” is really satisfying. It’s got a bit of Dylan-influenced bluesy folk to it. But it has this complicated sensiblity to it that makes me encounter a variety of emotions.
“A Stitch in Time” is another track that shows off Holt’s exceptional acoustic guitar work. Sometimes we get submissions from people who try to perform this style and it just misses what Holt does so well; you believe every line he sings. He has sincerity and polish on his songwriting that will keep him making music for a very long time.
The track “You Fill Me Up” features Kat Kennedy. The combination of the guitar and these two talented vocals makes for a really enjoyable track. The opening acoustic lines are just about as wonderful as could be; but then when they sing you find yourself even more grateful. The vocal line takes some twists and turns that take a minute to grasp, but once you hear them resolve they feel great.
The final track on this too-short EP is “I Have Enough.” Of course the guitar work is the centerpiece, but the whole sound is refreshing. It kind of reminds me of the well-worn troubadors of an earlier era. When the sound comes together, there’s a nice chill feeling to the music.
One of the marks of whether an album is really good, to me, is if I will add it to my personal rotation. That’s the case for this EP. I’m going to add Holt’s recent single here to the end of the feature. This was the song that he submitted to us and we included in an earlier NMF feature. If you’re interested, pick up the album and follow him on socials for a bit more music.
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