Charismatic and confident Southern Americana.
‘Only the Wild Ones’ is an album that has something for everyone. Southern rock, country, blues even pop but most importantly it’s americana at its most expressive. Hollow, described by Guitar Girl Magazine as a “badass singer-songwriter and guitar shredder” is an extremely accomplished musician indeed. You can feel her charisma shining through in every track which are very nicely balanced with plenty of light and shade throughout.
Recorded in Nashville she has assembled a fine body of backing musicians who have worked with the likes of k.d.lang, Brothers Osborne, and Miranda Lambert to name but a few. Her guitar work honed with playing over two hundred shows a year is exceptionally clean and precise. Not only that her vocals are also very strong throughout, reminiscent on a number of tracks of Sheryl Crow at her finest.
The autobiographical title track, which is one of the more reflective songs on show, tells the story of where and when she took her first joint and then eventually “taking these wings and flying away” before reflecting that “Only the wild ones know what I mean”. It has a melancholic feel about it, as her mother cries on the porch watching her leave.
In a recent interview, she said “There’s radical freedom when you’re trying to make it as an independent artist. It’s a bit feral. Sleeping under the stars, hopping from town to town… there were so many highs and lows to dive into artistically.” This beautifully sums up the overall feeling of the album. There is definitely the sensation of place but a restlessness too together with the utter confidence of youth.
The pace of the rockier tracks such as ‘Runnin’ Like A Gypsy’ and the opening track ‘Ethereal Emerald’ make an interesting contrast to the country tones of ‘Wallflower Girl in Bloom’ which has a lovely searing fiddle accompaniment .’Stepping Stone‘ is pure laid back pop.
The sexually charged lyrics of ‘Ride or Die’ or ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ where Hollow declares that she is ‘’too feral for your heart’’ demonstrate someone who is very comfortable with themselves and the path they have chosen.
This is an incredibly confident album from an exceptionally talented young musician. It deserves to be heard and fully appreciated by a wider audience. Definitely a name for the future.
