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Mar 19, 2025Holley struck left-field gold on Tonky, and there is nothing left to do except take it all and sing the praises of an artist whose self-expression becomes anthems for the new world.
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Mar 19, 2025It’s consistently propulsive, passionately performed, and paced with euphoric enthusiasm to the point where even its still moments are pushing themselves forward. No faith has to be placed on Holley’s songwriting ability like on previous releases, and no climax must be waited for; each track cedes itself into moment after moment like sifting grains.
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Mar 25, 2025Tonky, like all of Holley’s albums, is poetry set in motion through fluid, emotional and inventive music composed by Jackknife Lee. His language is rhythmic and his stories are concentrated, even as they span centuries.
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Apr 15, 2025Holley finds the direct line between his own, relatively recent suffering and the longer narrative of black people in America. Funky, percussion driven “We Was Kings in the Jungle, Slaves in the Field,” is one of the album’s best cuts, rumbling forward on syncopated drumming, fired by blares of brass and winds, lit by ghostly patterns of marimba.
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MojoMar 19, 2025It's like Lonnie: The Movie in sound - an absolute blockbuster. [May 2025, p.92]
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Mar 19, 2025Polished but never bland, and comes dotted with a wealth of special guests. .... But a big part of what makes Tonky compelling is how he stitches his tales into a wider fabric of African-American experience. [Mar 2025, p.36]
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Mar 28, 2025What’s remarkable is how wide a net Holley and Lee cast. Maybe it’s a sign of his broad appeal or the importance of the work he’s creating, but there’s something like fellowship in these songs, a sense of remembering together.
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Mar 21, 2025"Protest with Love" sounds like his attempt at a radio-ready R&B song, as he sings a simple message of love and perseverance over a sensuous groove. He sings of making the world a better place and turning nothing into something on "The Burden," and he praises the uplifting powers of music on "Strength of a Song." Still, there are moments of harshness.