Tony Holiday: Keep Your Head Up Review

Tony Holiday has built his career around community. Since moving from Salt Lake City to Memphis in 2017, he has become a key player in the city’s soul blues revival, surrounding himself with like-minded musicians and drawing from the region’s deep musical roots. His latest album, Keep Your Head Up, is a testament to this collaborative spirit, an eight-track collection blending blues, soul, and rock, recorded between Memphis and Los Angeles.

Holiday first gained attention with Motel Mississippi, which broke into the Billboard Blues Top 10 and earned him a Blues Music Award nomination. Before that, his Porch Sessions series saw him traveling across the U.S. and Europe, recording blues musicians in various settings. His knack for bringing artists together is evident once again on Keep Your Head Up, featuring an impressive lineup of guests, from Eddie 9V to Laura Chavez and Albert Castiglia.

The album kicks off with a fiery take on Freddie King’s “She’s A Burglar,” featuring Eddie 9V. The horns lay down a rich foundation, while the biting guitar work and raw vocals give the track a tough, streetwise edge. The following Chicago blues-styled “Twist My Fate”, with a steady groove reinforced by organ swells and tight guitar licks, has Holiday’s harmonica weaving through his and Kevin Burt’s commanding vocals.

“Woman Named Trouble” takes an unexpected turn, mixing blues with a Caribbean-infused rhythm and a blazing trumpet solo from Mark Pender. The Memphis soul-flavored “Good Times” follows, bringing in AJ Fullerton for a swaggering performance that captures the easygoing joy of its title.

Laura Chavez delivers one of the album’s standout moments on the catchy “Shoulda Known Better,” a horn-heavy, soul-blues number that builds tension before breaking into soaring choruses. The track highlights Holiday’s ability to blend grit with melody, keeping things hard-edged yet heavily expressive.

The record then shifts gears with the riff-driven “Walk On The Water,” a modern hill country blues-styled cut featuring harmony vocals from producer Eric Corne. It’s a stripped-down yet powerful number, driven by a hypnotically steady rhythm and an almost ghost-like atmosphere.

Albert Castiglia joins in for the rocker “Drive It Home,” an energetic Snooks Eaglin cover brimming with playful chemistry, before the album closes with “I Can Not Feel The Rain,” a poignant country-soul ballad that strips things back to a heartfelt, emotional core.

Keep Your Head Up doesn’t aim to reinvent blues or soul but embraces their tradition with authenticity and energy. The production maintains a raw, live-in-the-room feel, allowing the music’s natural grit to shine. It’s a solid, engaging record that reinforces Holiday’s promising status in today’s blues scene.

The Review: 8/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– She’s A Burglar
– Woman Named Trouble
– Walk On Wate
– I Can Not Feel The Rain
– Shoulda Known Better

The Big Hit

– Shoulda Known Better