Sony Holland

I went back and looked at the review I posted on Sony Holland’s last release, “Out Of This World.” I gushed. “Go past Norah and Diana…this one’s worth a special order,” I said. “Highest Recommendation,” I said. “Four Microphones,” I said. I hate when that happens. Because this disc - “Swing, Bossas, Ballads and Blues,” is just as good, if not better.
Ms. Holland’s voice soars somewhere above the Golden Gate Bridge, in her hometown of San Francisco. Art Khu on piano does a great job, and Ms. Holland’s husband, Jerry, wrote half of the tracks, most blending seamlessly with the eight standards.
I keep thinking I’m going to have to put together a mix of “New Standards,” because a couple of these would certainly make the short list, “I Can’t Blame Them For Trying,” along with “Million Dollar Dreams,” and “I’ll Remember Paris” are three of my favorites. One of the originals, “Saving My Life Every Day,” was inspired, the publicity say, by a friend’s “…confession that he considered suicide daily until the birth of his son.”
Yikes. Of the covers, “Meditation” is probably the best, but heck, they’re all good.
Ms. Holland is one of those American singers who spends a fair amount of time in Asia - where audiences are much more appreciative of vocal jazz. For good reason, because her style shows respect for the classics, but she goes further to own the songs she’s singing.
I’ll be listening to this one for a long time.
Highest recommendation. Four Stars (out of four) - Girlsingers.org

Sony Holland’s latest release concentrates her best qualities, some wonderful original gems and dazzling production values into a solid snapshot of this dynamic and versatile performer.

The CD is split evenly among covers (Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” Rodgers & Hart’s “My Funny Valentine and “The Shadow of Your Smile”) and original material written by Sony’s talented husband Jerry Holland. His songs, interpreted so organically, stand out with numbers like “As You Are,” I Can’t Blame Them For Trying” and “Act Like You’re In Love With Me,” are likely to become American Songbook standards. Yes, they’re that good.

Sony swings with the best of them, and her vocals shine on the slower, languid ballads accompanied by some beautiful piano work and the sensual alto and tenor saxophones of Charles McNeal. A lovely version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Meditation” is just the right choice for Sony’s style. This bossa (an amalgam of the Brazilian samba and American jazz influences displays all of Sony’s best attributes – the attention to rhythm and arrangement, the clear, strong vocals, and her sensual delivery. This song may get Sony the radio rotation she deserves.

Adding to the quality of this recording are arrangements by Jerry Holland, Larry Dunlap and Art Khu with engineering by Grammy Award winner Leslie Ann Jones. Sony is constantly improving – working her act to engage and delight her fans. With the great new original material presented here and the concentration on her strengths (swing and bossas’s), this CD is a hit. - Cabaret Scenes Magazine

An elegant Sony Holland captivated the audience at the brand spanking new Yoshi's of San Francisco on December 11, with great back-up by Charles McNeal on sax, Seward McCain on bass, David Rokeach on drums, Jeff Buenz on guitar and Benny Watson on piano.

Sony Holland is a Minnesota native who moved to San Francisco in 2003 and has been playing the Bay Area's top jazz venues to great success. She rightly holds the title of San Francisco's own chanteuse. I caught her in the past at the AIDS Charity Benefit where she sang only one song. It was a pleasure to hear the cool sounds in her own program of songs ranging from Rodgers and Hammerstein to her own husband Jerry Holland.

Sony Holland is becoming the female Tony Bennett with her stylish arrangements. Her voice reminds me of an early Julie Christy with a touch of Nancy Wilson. Hers is a smooth and sophisticated voice. The 80-minute gig was laid back with very little talking. She segued into songs effortlessly; members of the quintet had their own solos on some of the songs.

Dressed in a short beige/white dress she immediately went into Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Shall We Dance" from The King and I. She softly sang her composer and lyricist husband's "Polk Street Bar" and then hypnotically sang Harry Warren and Mark Gordon's "At Last." The gifted singer gave a soft rendition of Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington's "The Nearness of You" with Charles McNeal giving out a mellow sax solo.

Ms. Holland announced that the next songs would have a Latin beat and she introduced Jeff Buenz on guitar. Rodgers and Hammerstein's "It Might As Well Be Spring" had that melodious South American beat and was swiftly followed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonca and Normal Gimble's "Meditation." She finished with her husband's "San Francisco High."

Sony Holland introduced a new song written by her husband Jerry Holland called "As You Are" with her velvety, sensual vocal cords. Paul Simon was saluted with the soulful "Bridge over Trouble Waters" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." There is a lush quality to her voice as she sang Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood." Members of the quintet broke out with a jazzy version of the song. She did a classy rendition of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." The chic singer ended the session with her husband's "A Man In Manhattan."

Sony Holland came out for two encores: John Mandel and Paul Francis Webster's "The Shadow of Your Smile" and a swinging arrangement of J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."

Yoshi's of San Francisco is a beautiful 408 seat nightclub with just perfect sight lines and sounds. This club at 1330 Fillmore Street is probably the most elegant club on the West Coast. - Talking Broadway

Based in San Francisco, jazz singer Sony Holland delivers a program of thirteen welcome selections, including standards and several originals. Following the mainstream and swinging casually with a hip demeanor, she interprets with a genuine ambience. Working with small, acoustic ensembles, she follows tradition, interpreting each song from the heart.

“Out Of This World” features an exotic interpretation with plenty of built-in excitement, while “At Last” finds the singer pouring emotionally with a laid-back blues texture. The chills can go right through you. Holland’s interpretation of “Skylark” appears in its timeless caricature, while “The Thrill Is Gone” changes pace with a hot guitar/organ combo. It’s on these heated numbers that the singer shows the best aspects of her art: forceful emotion from deep within, along with immaculate musical precision.

Sony Holland treats straight-ahead jazz standards with the care of a traditionalist while bringing a fresh, emotional spark to the forum. Among those providing stellar accompaniment and musical partnership for her recommended album are pianists Art Khu and John R. Burr, guitarist Jim Nichols, tenor saxophonist Charles McNeal, bassist John Shifflett, and drummer David Rokeach. - L.A. Jazz Scene

Bay Area jazz singer Sony Holland has a style that goes down easy. Her Plush Room engagement over the weekend featured a pleasantly appealing lineup of standards, pop songs and originals.

On Friday night, her band — the excellent Benny Watson on piano, Seward McCain on bass, David Rokeach on drums and Charles McNeal on saxophone, perfectly complemented her vocal performance, her last at the wonderfully intimate venue in the York Hotel, which is closing at the end of the year. (The room’s bookers, Rrazz Entertainment, are opening a new stage in the Nikko Hotel.)

Wearing a bright red dress and sparkly rhinestones, Holland’s persona is as inviting as her sound. She interprets with a light touch, offering nothing too challenging or over-the-top with both the ballads and uptempo tunes.

She opened with Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low” and ended the encore with “A Man in Manhattan” an original by her husband, Jerry Holland, with a tone and theme that blended marvelously with the other classics on the set list.

In between were “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and every jazz singer’s favorite, “Meditation.” Among the standout numbers: “Skylark,” “Here’s That Rainy Day” and “Shall We Dance.”

She paid tribute to two of her favorite singers, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett, with “The Shadow of Your Smile,” a tune both recorded. Her evocative rendition of the gorgeous melody puts her in fine company. Fans in the Bay Area should look forward to her new recording and a Dec. 11th show at the new Yoshi’s in San Francisco. - San Francisco Examiner