Lonnie Holley is nothing short of a modern-day renaissance man. In an era where everyone can be a multi-hyphenate, thanks to the looming, fast-paced advancements of technology, Holley seamlessly transitions between his mediums with the spirit of a world that has passed while carefully examining the future. Holley unapologetically approaches his craft with a curious spirit and a head full of prowess, whether it’s his sculptures, paintings, or his ever-evolving recording catalog. This week (March 21), that catalog grows even more significant with the addition of Tonky, the 14-song journey through the artist’s past and how it built the man we watch navigate the art world with a fully intact spirit.
Like his industrial found-object sculptures, Tonky is an abstract expression of self. Holley approaches art as if kaleidoscopes have been permanently adhered to his eyes, distorting his vision with prisms of color and wonder. The artist’s curiosity drives his latest release. Call it jazz; call it experimental funk. However you want to label it, Tonky is a profoundly spiritual experience. Holley examines his past to answer the multitude of questions presented on Tonky and aims to use his life-long realizations to connect us all. “We might not have it all together, but together we have it all. Let’s come together,” smoothly falls out of Holley’s lips at the beginning of “The Same Stars.” This lyric begins to sum up the feature-heavy sentiment of Tonky, with a strong emphasis on “begins.”
These fourteen songs are complex, poetic, heartbreaking, and uplifting. Tonky is not an album to be divided into playlists; it is one piece of art meant to be digested as the artist intended. You wouldn’t remove a corner of a Monet from the rest of the work. Every drastic mood shift is calculated. Holley’s honesty and bellowing vocals twirl around jazz fusion and hints of garage rock with immense ease, ensuring every word is felt deep in the listener’s soul. Everything that could be perceived as disconnected or a mistake is wholeheartedly on purpose, and the more you immerse yourself in these songs, the more you realize there were no mistakes. The way Holley places inspiring moments like “Strength of A Song” next to moments of chaotic confusion like on the Isaac Brock-assisted psych-rock number “What’s Going On” proves this sentiment. The artist builds you up, breaks you down, and ultimately gives the listener a safe space to ask questions about the world around us all.
Tonky starts with “Seeds,” a nine-minute spoken word piece detailing the pain of Holley’s upbringing. This is where Holley’s mystique unravels, and this theme continues throughout the album. The artist’s vulnerability in the writing and vocal performances makes Tonky‘s experimental nature feel so accessible. Moments like the slow-burning “The Burden” explore generational trauma over neck-breaking drums juxtaposed with the gentle clarinet melodies from Angel Bat Dawid. The heartbreaking spiritual jazz number shouldn’t sound so radio-ready, but therein lies the magic of Holley’s approach. He can bring different artists and listeners into his alien-like mind and make everyone feel welcomed, like on the Billy Woods-assisted “I Look Over My Shoulder.”
Holley ends Tonky on a light note with “A Change Is Gonna Come,” a welcomed outro to the album’s onslaught of lofty visions and harsh realities. Holley has always been fearless, but this level of vulnerability introduces us to a new side of the artist. Holley holds nothing back as he attempts to connect the dots of his past to his present while painting a hopeful picture of the future. Tonky is an autobiographical account of an artist with restless creativity whose daring tendencies make his warping visions clear and palpable. Holley 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.
