This page contains a brief overview on the album BILL HOLLAND & THE RENT'S DUE BAND: By Heart. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
REVIEW WASHINGTON POST, WEEKEND, MAY 31.

"By Heart," keyboardist-composer Bill Holland's latest release, is graced by bookend balance. It begins with "Miranda's Veranda," a melancholy solo musing, and ends on a similarly reflective note with "And If You Dream Too Much," another unaccompanied recital. Oddly enough, the opener wouldn't sound out of place signaling the last call at a neighborhood bar.

The same quietly romantic tone informs some of the ensemble performances. "Indigo," a moody blues, has plenty of insinuating charm going for it, and tenor saxaophonist Bruce Swaim infuses the piece an interesting edge it would otherwise lack. Swaim's full-throated sound is also a big plus when Holland recasts Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" as a flowing pop ballad. It's the album's sole cover tune.

Far more distinctive, though, is "No Use Blaming Love," which features several local jazz musicians conspiring with Holland's husky voice to create a noir-ish haze.

The jazz ante is upped on "You might Be Right," a hard-bop theme on which Swaim and trombonist Rick Lillard adroitly man the front line, and on "Let's Get One Thing Straight," which finds Holland and guitarist Chuck Underwood evoking the vivid shades of Mose Allison's hipster mileu.

When the tone turns pensive again on "Hollero," Bassist Paul Langosch, a Chevy Chase resident best known for his work with Tony Bennett, quietly moves to the foreground. With the help of some discreet overdubbing, he contributes an unusually haunting and resonant interlude..."By Heart" offers a welcome view of the more soulful and lyrical aspects of Holland's repertoire.
--Mike Joyce

BILL HOLLAND BIOGRAPHY

Bill Holland has been an well-known presence on the Washington, D.C. music scene since the mid-1970's when he formed the popular Rent's Due Band. The talented singer, songwriter and piano player is considered one of the area's most enduring talents, delivering delightful tunes with clever wordplay and infectious rhythm.

His most recent album, "By Heart," gained great reviews, was nominated for four Washington Area Music Awards (WAMMIES), and won "Best Jazz Group" award.

Bill has been nominated for many WAMA awards, and won Best Traditional Jazz Vocalist in 1995. His CD "Players, Fools & Thieves" was also picked by Performing Songwriter Magazine that year as one of the Top Indie Album releases. That album, and the subsequent "Way Overdue," a compendium of his work in the '70s and '80s, are still in print.

Bill is also the veteran Bureau Chief for Billboard Magazine, and covers the government beat. He has won many prizes for his investigative and news analysis features, including two prestigious ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in music writing.

More information on the musician-writer, check out www.billholland.net.

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.billholland.net

Track List:
1. Miranda's Veranda
2. Indigo
3. Visions of You
4. My Back Pages
5. Love and the River
6. No Use Blaming Love
7. You Might Be Right
8. The Goodle-Eyed Tango
9. Let's Get One Thing Straight
10. Hollero
11. And If You Dream Too Much

Suggested CDs:

• Jay Leonhart
• Jay Leonhart

Other Genres:

• JAZZ: Jazz Vocals
• JAZZ: Latin Jazz
• TYPE: LYRICAL