The first thing you notice about Zandi Holup is her voice. You can’t miss it. It’s an expressive thing—an instrument in itself, almost—and when you add in the fact that “All That’s Left Is Me” is about leaving addictions, bad choices, and vices behind and facing the world as “yourself,” then it makes for quite a mix.
“Dirty Wings” confesses she’s done “some fucked up things,” and that cracked delivery only hints at the life she’s lived.
“Go Find Less” knows it’s his loss, and it carries more self-confidence than most songs dare to show, while “Wildflower” as a whole feels ready to take on the world—and win.
Just Holup and a guitar—it’s almost perfect singer/songwriter fare. Music as catharsis; you feel like you know her through these songs. The brilliant title track almost dares you to take her on.
The whole collection seems to find a silver lining. “Gas Station Flowers” reasons that a bad relationship “is better than being alone,” for example, while “Runs in the Family” examines the hereditary issues that have shaped her.
That sense of having lived a hard life runs through the record like a golden thread. “Doing the Time” is genuinely heartbreaking, but there’s a stoicism here that those who’ve endured tend to carry. “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”—at least until the last line—is full of it. And that last line is why she’s clearly a wonderful songwriter.
“Mountain Man” finds her kindred spirit; “Mary Jane” tells a brilliantly harrowing story.
And as it ends with the brutal “Things I’ll Never Forget”, you’re struck by the staggering realisation that this is Zandi Holup’s debut album. In the accompanying biography, there’s a quote from her that resonates loudly:
“To me one of the coolest parts about music is that it helps you to feel the emotions that you can’t always access on your own,” she muses. “I hope this record helps people to remove any walls they’ve built up and moves them to a place of vulnerability where they’re allowed to feel everything.”
With that, she’s described not just “Wildflower” in general, but brilliant singer-songwriter music in particular.
As clear as day, a star is born here. This is genuinely brilliant.
Rating: 9.5/10
