| | | Deborah Holland
Freudian Slip
Dog and Pony Records
Freudian Slip, Deborah Holland's new CD, continues the blend of personal longing and cheer that was so present on her two CDs with Animal Logic. Like a Chaplinesque walk into the horizon, Holland dusts herself off after emotional scrambles knowing there's some reason to continue. This adult song writing faces conflicts without resorting to clichés. Sustained by hopes and dreams, the songs' narrator resolves to work through the pain of friends leaving and friends meaning more than she can figure out.
This sophisticated rock music uses elements from pop and country to create a patina over the depth of feelings revealed. The momentum of the music doesn't allow any lingering in collapsed retreat. Her voice sounds better than ever, strong and solid with not a fleck of doubt, propelling her epistles, confessions, and plaintive battle cries above the fray. The melodies are catchy. It's guaranteed that you'll be singing bits and pieces. I especially like the way the verse wipes into the chorus on "Dog and Pony Show."
A special word for the production which mixes all the disparate sounds into a complementary stew. The crisp drum snaps (Stewart Copeland, former Police and Animal Logic) bring a playfulness to the proceedings. The twangs of guitars, pedal steel, and other strings pull on the heart like a train leaving. Like a ride in a smooth car, as comfortable as a clean tablecloth, like the first taste of a glassful of deep red wine, Holland's singing provides a range of texture that while often intangible adds to our quality of life. Freudian Slip fulfills with its gravity of focus and, in the process of sharing those reflections, finds a way to give gravity the slip.
(Cover, Winter 1995)
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