Holly O'Reilly: Press

Click here to hear the feature NPR did of Holly's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows".

Graced by three covers- one each by Leonard Cohen, Richard Buckner, and Doc Watson- and eight originals, O'Reilly's newest is a gentle, moving example of well played Americana. Combining acoustic instrumentation with Holly's sad, sly voice, the result falls somewhere between JOni Mitchell and Gillian Welch. Hauntingly observant lyrics follow mandolin leads, while dobro and acoustic guitar give the songs a gut bucket rhythm, propulsive but never intrusive. A fine, beautiful release.

Gotta say, I’m really diggin’ Gifts and Burdens, the new album from local Americana/folk/bluegrass singer-songwriter Holly O’Reilly Figueroa. Her voice has that same perfect blend of gravel and honey, tinged both by darkness and light, that forebears Nanci Griffith and Joni Mitchell employed to great effect and lasting adoration. I’d say her songs are somewhat “whiskey-soaked,” but with the moratorium on that phrase, I’ll just note that her tunes often have a wistful, lonely, late-night quality about them but, at the same time, are not really a downer. On her MySpace page, Holly fills in the “Sounds Like” section with the line, “Hopefully, something you’d want to hear more than once,” and after seeing her perform live, you’ll likely agree with that categorization.

...Though pained, her Americana folk musings never sounded so beautiful.

After four acclaimed CDs, the former Holly Figueroa and founder of the Indiegrrl Network changes her name after a period of personal upheaval and returns with disc that's as penetrating and lasting a listen as 2005's formidable How It Is.

Though she laces her influences and similarities (Emmylou, Shawn Colvin) with the tangled roots of Americana, O'Reilly's music resiliently her own. Never shying away from our common foibles, she manages the neat and nearly impossible trick of sounding both compellingly contemporary and ancient simultaneously; making keen observations as Lay Them Down, One More Time, Leonard Cohen's Everybody Knows, Richard Buckner's Boys The Night will Bury You and the title track echo not only from the dark hollows of our psyches and souls but also from the dark, dark hills.

Interview with Holly about her second record, "Dream in Red".

“I feel like this is a beginning more than a progression.” ...

Holly O’Reilly’s CD "Gifts and Burdens" was supposed to be a sad goodbye. It’s turning out, though, to be just the opposite...

"...a fine new CD, How It Is, slays just about any big company songster product that has been coughed up over the past 12 months."

Paul Anderson - Los Angeles Entertainment Today

In the grass rootsy world of modern folk music, even the best songwriters often become behind the scenes activists. Holly Figueroa is the founder of the influential Indiegrrl netwrking organization and record label, as well as a smart urban songwriter with an alluring new CD, "How It Is, (Cake).

Scott Alarik - Boston Globe (Jan 30, 2003)


One of the traits good singer songwriters share is a predilection for bracing honesty in their music. That's a point in favor of Holly Figueroa, an Ohio singer songwriter who gave up music to study medicine, gave up medicine for motherhood, and is now balancing music and motherhood. Her third album, "How It Is", opens with "Hard", a wrenchingly frank first person tune propelled by a simple overdriven slide guitar riff underlaid with mandolin. "I'm hard to live with/and I'm hard to love/and I'm hard to get through to" are the first words she sings, in a soulful voice that evokes Jonatha Brooke's folkier numbers. The song sets the tone for the record, which is loaded with wiistful portraits of the path not taken, the transcienceof love and the someewhat more resilient nature of regret. Herlyrics are sharp and rich in emotional detail,and the musicl arrangements range from the stark, finger picked guitar and subtle strings of "To the Ground", to the jarring crescendos of "Red", a diifficult song that seems to describe the unhealthy interactions between an enabler and the enabled. Despite having three records, Figueroa is still largely unknown outside indie folk circles. That is starting to change--her previous album, "Dream in Red", was featuredon NPR and song "You'll Always Have Me" from "How It Is" has made her a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. With her obvious skill as a lyricist and her growing ability as a guitarist (she started playing in 99, when her touring guitar player broke his hip just before their first festival show) its a contest Figueroa deserves to win.
Eric R. Danton - Hartford Courant (Sep 24, 2005)

"One of modern folk's criminally ignored and unjustly under appreciated artists…"
- Apple/Itunes (Sep 23, 2005)


With the flair of Country, the warmth of Shawn Colvin, the melodic genius of Indigo Girls and sweetness of Jonatha Brooke, this is a countrified folk pop album that will lasso together fans of the gritty along with those who prefer sweet poignancy. When you grab for this one, hold on tight as this woman knows how to pick you up off the ground and send you through the atmosphere. Highly Recommended.
- CD Baby (Sep 24, 2005)

Figueroa's gaining recognition - and local playtime - for her searing vocals and the hybrid folk/blues/pop sounds she coaxes out of her acoustic guitar.
- Seattle Times

Direct dealing with emotions is the thread running through Holly Figueroa's September 2001 release, Dream in Red. "Emily" is the story of the artist coming out to her sister ("I've got a girlfriend/Yeah, that kinda girlfriend"). Because of the rhythm, some listeners may have a challenging time catching all the lyrics; however, Figueroa includes them on her website (/www.hollyfigueroa.com/lyrics.html), and they're well worth checking out. Everybody who's going to come out deserves to have someone in their family tell them they still love them. (Though, granted, not everybody gets that.) Figueroa clearly values the experience, because, for all the wry moments of humor, the core of this song is each sister's acceptance of the other, as is ("She said I still love you/If that's what yer worried about"). It's a very real song, very human. Those familiar with Washington State's reputation for overcast weather will probably relate to this line in "Hades": "You got a hundred and four cloudy days/And they all fall on the weekends." Yeah, that could make a guy take off for Florida, like in the narrative. It's not the weather by itself, though, it's how the weather makes you feel ("Something happens when the snow flies/The kind part of him dies"). "We Do" is about the very end of a relationship ("You're not bad/And I'm not bad/But we're so bad together/There's got to be a place where we're right apart"). Many people who have been through a breakup will understand this one from the inside, and sympathize with the impact. Figueroa sings about the losses in life, sometimes of life itself, as on the title song, "Dream in Red," which surely takes on a new poignancy after September 11, 2001. Yet there's also celebration of the immediacy of life and a night together in "Here." So for all the change points in her life, Figueroa creates a song, and listeners will find themselves moved by the emotional honesty. Definitely recommended for those who appreciate independent women artists.
Murrday Fisher - All Music Guide (Sep 24, 2005)


"A force to be reckoned with."
Carla DeSantis - Rockrgrl Magazine (Sep 23, 2005)


Seattle's Holly Figueroa is a dynamo. When I first heard her single "What I Miss" back in the late 1990's, I knew she was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Figueroa is provocative, feisty, passionate, and emotive in her new release, "How It Is", out on Tacoma, Washington-based Cake Records.

Figueroa can easily compete with her major-label contemporaries in the folk, blues, and rock world, with solid, hooky songwriting, unique vocals, and a radio-ready sound. What stands out is her unique delivery, where she relies on her skill of crafting the song to perfectly fit her powerful voice. Every quirk, every cry, every growl, every scream, every breath, is crystal clear and emotionally gripping.

This time around, Figueroa took her time in the studio, utilizing a pleasing group of (unnamed) musicians on the tracks to create slightly rootsy arrangements that feature acoustic guitar, banjo, strings, and other tasty treatments. In addition, the vocals are skillfully recorded and present in all the right amounts in all the right places. The production quality is excellent. The songwriting also flows, with lots of toe-tapping rhythms and melodic vocal lines.

The biggest triumph of all is that Holly Figueroa has finally found her true voice. Her songwriting and presentation skills have finally settled into a place that is starkly honest, revealing a style that crosses genres (rock, folk, blues, pop, AC, country...) and creates a beautiful landscape for her captivating voice.
Suzanne Glass - Indie-Music (Sep 24, 2005)


"Underappreciated roots rocker with a sweet growl."

"It Doesn't matter howit should be/only matters how it is..." How it is: Unless you are a steadfast Holly Figueroa fan, you've never heard this CD. How it should be: every ardent music fan should own this album. From first listen, the disc feels familiar, like that old stone you worry in your pocket. It starts off with just enough alt country twang to feel prosaic. Then add Holly's growly voice and you're in for a folk rock surpriise. The decptively simple guitar melodies are decorated lovelingly with a wide rance of other instruments to provide a deep bed for her unusual voice and fantastic lyrics you'll want to sing over and over.
- Women Who Rock Magazine (Sep 24, 2005)

Solid guitar work and strong vocals are built on a foundation of well-crafted songs...
Phil Bailey - Ink 19 (Sep 24, 2005)

Hailing from Seattle, but originally from Ohio, Holly Figueroa seems to have every American emotion down. What's even better is that she can describe it to her listeners. (read more at nowontour.com)
- Now On Tour (Sep 24, 2005)

"an upcoming, break out, soon to be known artist..."
- Seventeen Magazine (Sep 23, 2005)

... "a deeply-felt and mature exploration of grief that builds above all upon the rich, flexible vocal instrument that Holly's voice has become".
Bill Fisher - Victory Review (Sep 23, 2005)

If you’ve been lucky enough to see folk-blues musician Holly Figueroa, you probably recall her spine-tingling voice, sincere lyrics and the enthusiastic way she strums her acoustic. If you were at a smoke-free venue, you most certainly remember her eight-year-old daughter Maddy, Figueroa’s charming little sidekick.
Erica Gallagher - Venus Magazine
"How Sweet It Is"

Holly Figueroa is the girl who sat across the room in high school
paying attention and periodically producing an engaging paragraph so
well crafted that the English teacher was predestined to read it aloud.
Fifteen years and two albums later, you catch one of her shows and
everything you had hoped and prayed for has come to pass.

The real Holly Figueroa's new album, How It Is, sounds lived in, in a
kind of Lucida Williams way - a drawl here and a well-hewn hesitation
there. The texture of her voice is as important as the melody, and the
engineers must have been halfway down her throat to discover this rich
clarity. Though the singer remains a cultish secret among the fan base
she created through indiegrrl.com, How It is could change all that.
She has become increasingly eloquent in her assessment of human foibles
and domestic dynamics. And with bassist Tony Levin strumming through
her background, head boppin' to grief-stricken lyrics can't be helped.
Figueroa will bring her Beth Orton-gets-with-the-Indigo-Girls-but-is-cheating-with-Emmylou-Harris
sound to Jazzbones this Sunday with Tacoma favorite Vicci Martinez.
Ron Swarner - Weekly Volcano, Tacoma WA (Sep 23, 2005)
"A staple on NPR, road warrior, and guitarist for all of four years and counting, singer songwriter Holly Figueroa's roots run deep into the murky waters of American music, touching on gospel, folk, jazz, avant-garde and Americana. However, 'How It Is' is far from retro. Akin to artists such as Beth Orton, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, and David Gray, the youthful mid-westerner makes tradition sound modern via clever rhythms, haunting harmonies, and sinewy melodies."
Tom Semioli - Minor 7th