Heather Masse
Hold On
2019
Alive In The Night
Fallin' Rain
Hold On
Let It Be With Me
Keep It On Faith
Which Will / If I Loved You
Crazy
A Little More
Mirror
The Garden
Rozzy's Song (For Roswell Rudd)
Billboard-charting vocalist Heather Masse releases Hold On — her first original album in 10 years.
An inspired collection of acoustic pop and jazz performances, the album was recorded with her long-time pianist and frequent collaborator Jed Wilson. It lands squarely in between her folk-charting release Bird Song (Red House Records) and her more recent collaborations with jazz legends Dick Hyman and Roswell Rudd. Evoking the sounds of Sara Bareilles and Cassandra Wilson, Heather brings us eleven tracks that speak to the heart--giving solace in times of uncertainty and division.
“I wrote ‘Hold On’ about trusting humanity and finding hope and peace amidst today’s chaos,” says Heather. “The album carries this theme from intimate matters of the heart to holding the weight of these troubling times.” The title track, along with songs like “The Garden” and “A Little More,” carry this message forward, accompanied by Heather’s soaring pop melodies and Jed’s stunning piano playing, asking us “Isn’t love what we’re living for?”
Other highlights include her playful jazz tune “Crazy” and her loving tribute to late great trombonist and friend Roswell Rudd “Rozzy’s Song.” Nestled among these originals are a few choice covers, including Nick Drake’s “Which Will,” Rogers & Hammerstein’s “If I Loved You” and “Fallin’ Rain” from legendary rock and roll guitarist Link Wray.
These songs were lovingly brought to life with arrangements that had been years in the making. “Jed and I have been playing together for almost 20 years, and we have been performing some of these songs for awhile,” Heather says. “That meant we could really hone in on the more subtle aspects of each song. We tracked everything live with just the two of us, simply playing the songs until we had a performance we both felt good about. We would improvise and change things up every time so each performance was truly unique from the others.”
Capturing the spontaneity and creative spark that only comes from a true musical partnership, the album reflects their mutual love of jazz and folk music as well as their abiding friendship. “Heather has been a vital inspiration to me both musically and personally,” Jed says. “And I think this new album is particularly remarkable as it exhibits her profound gifts as a songwriter.”
Sounding surprisingly lush given its spare production, Hold On is a heart-filled album that will stay with you long after the last notes ring out.