Nashville Collective – “Holding You”
Nashville Collective – “Holding You” – Single Review
Ooooooooooo I’m UPSET dear readers, dear friends…many of you out there probably know why that is.
After about seven years strong of railing against the music-mecca factory of Nashville-based sound here on our pages…like…WHAT am I supposed to do with the Nashville Collective? I mean…when a song is this damn easy to like…aren’t we all kind of helpless? I still can’t help but feel this article is gonna damage my street cred…and I’m pretty much in a whole shock to the system that a song could come my way with a Nashville-anything tag attached to the moniker and have me somehow onboard with it all.
Yet here we are. The day has come. Amazing…but, you know, grrrrr.
Look. My issues with the city itself are always centered around a genuine concern that Nashville will eat your uniqueness & turn you into everyone else. If you can avoid that, then I’m more than cool with it…it’s just that most can’t. Nashville Collective has managed to steer clear of the sea of sameness with this new single…and even though it’s a co-written & collaborative tune…there’s still identity here in the music & vocals combined that is clearly strong enough to break through the aforementioned stigma. So on the strengths of not just turning into another act at the Bluebird Café, I salute this project fully, 100%.
I’ve got a theory as to why this worked so well…and I felt like I was able to get confirmation on why that was from a lil’ research out there online. I’m not here to argue that you won’t feel there are similarities to things you might have heard…there are – just not typically the stuff you’d expect from Nashville…so again, thumbs-up from me. What I’m talking about is the incredibly natural & organic flow in the design of the new single “Holding You” – there was just something about it from those very first piano notes that seemed like this song was always inside of the Nashville Collective, just waiting to burst out at the right moment in time, which is now. If you do a little digging online, you’ll find an interview with the founder of the NC…a man by the name of Jared Oxenberg, who will tell ya the story behind the making of “Holding You” and how it came to be. And as IF I needed another reason to feel burned for all the right reasons by this crew of talent…hearing him describe how effortlessly & quickly this song actually came together…was like…I mean…damn…if it was this easy for us all, we’d all do it. Facts are it ain’t. What comes naturally to Jared and the skillful music-aces working with him on this single by the Nashville Collective is definitely not just something that comes to everyone out there so easily. And believe me – when you hear the focus, impressive writing, stunning performance & production on “Holding You,” it’s not exactly like anyone phoned this one in either; it might have snapped together quickly, but that’s the result of a moment in time that was sincerely meant to take place with all the right people to assist in making that happen. When things are meant to be, they often are, just like this.
It’s vibrant, it’s colorful, it’s bright, it’s boldly expressive…”Holding You” is built upon layers of sound designed to capture your genuine interest & attention – mission accomplished Nashville Collective, well done…I surrender. Personally I really dig this tune from beginning to end…I think the hooks, sparkle, and shine is immediately on display through the piano & vocals that start the song & that “Holding You” continues to captivate even more through its stunning sweetness from that first moment forward. The writing is smart, sleek, and effective…which is what you probably WOULD expect from a band called the Nashville Collective…it’d be nearly a given & an assumption we’d all be likely to make. What makes this go beyond all that & seriously more impressive, is the overall performance on “Holding You” and how well executed this set of melodies, hooks, and ideas become fused together & transition so flawlessly. You’re not going to find any faults here, I can promise you that…you regular readers know that if you’re mentioning the ol’ music-mecca of Nashville that I’m ready to poke holes in your boat if it’s not strong enough to keep out the water. The bulletproof hooks, beautiful writing, and remarkable performances that flow throughout the music & vocals on “Holding You” are undeniably awesome…and I think any set of ears listening would have to agree on that. You got me on your side Nashville Collective – well done.
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!
