Holly Hyatt Wild Heart www.HollyHyatt.com
Forty-five minutes of feel-goo, soul-drenched, roots and blues.
Been having difficulty managing your day? Can’t find the right words for a situation? Facing challenging choices?
I’m not going to suggest Wild Heart is going to assist you in navigating obstacles faced today or tomorrow. I will suggest that a couple listens to Wild Heart will get your mind off of those problems: the difficulties will still exist—you just likely won’t give as much of a care.
Wild Heart makes for carefree, summer-listening. “So Close,” “Gravity,” and “It’s Time For Love” are breezy-AM radio inspired testaments of relational lightness. More dance-inspiring are “Wild Heart,” “River Flows,” and “Get Funky,” the type of songs one appreciates for their artful lightness. The instrumental grooves are deep, the performances are tight: within their fluid complexity one finds freedom and ease: “Sunny Day in January,” indeed—the entire album is a Master Blaster of Wonder-jams.
“If I Called You” possesses a certain yearnsomeness that is appealing, and “Midnight Moonsong” is an 80s-throwback, in the best way; it reminds me of several 12” singles danced to (when no one was looking) in days of the West Edmonton Mall mega-store.
Reminiscent of Alberta’s Ann Vriend, Holly Hyatt is based in British Columbia Slocan Valley, an area known for artistic independence. Her voice is absolutely delightful. She heads a stout combo here. The funky bass grooves are all her own, and she is joined by the horns and percussion of co-producer Clinton Swanson, giving the album a ‘throwback’ sound that is simultaneously completely contemporary: this is the kind of music we search for on obscure Stax and SoulShaker compilations. Brandon Smith provides the keys including Rhodes and Wurlitzer, while Jon Burdon handles the guitars and Steve Wilson the drums.
Wild Heart. Holly Hyatt. Highly recommended.
Fervor Coulee- roots music opinion 