Jett Holden -- The Phoenix
On The Phoenix, Jett Holden proves he is a distinctive voice in country music -- and is here to stay.
Jett Holden has staked his claim on country music in his outstanding debut album The Phoenix. While the album is a first for Jett, it's also the first for Black Opry Records: a milestone in the history of Black artists making country music. That the album is unabashedly queer further illustrates that real country music, the kind that resonates with the soul and not your spurs, speaks to all kinds of people.
First and foremost, Holden is a consummate storyteller. He told me about his unique narrative-first approach to writing in the Nasvhille Scene last month. That eye for drama leads to arresting songs that can only come from Holden's pen. "Taxidermy," one of Holden's best, kicks the album off right away with a critique of performative social media posts in the wake of racialized police executions. Meanwhile, "The Phoenix" is a sweeping narrative of a mother who succumbs to cancer.
In between, Holden guides us through epics of love won and lost, friends who urge us to carry on without them, and stepping in to our true selves. Holden's distinctive and powerful singing sell these songs, as if the lyrics weren't enough. Holden is an important new artist on the scene, one who can bring together Americana heavyweights like producer Will Hoge and singer Emily Scott Robinson, as well as the glitzier side of Music Row with Cassadee Pope and John Osborne. The Phoenix is a stirring album that demands we draw on the full spectrum of humanity.
