Hollyn

“One-Way Conversations”
Gotee Records, 2017

In 2013, Hollyn was cut from the Hollywood rounds of American Idol. She shouldn’t have been.

Four years later the 20-year-old has cultivated the looks and sound for pop stardom, in Christian music and beyond. “Love With Your Life” is a radio-ready, pop-funk masterpiece that’s already stuck in your head barely a minute in. You could say the same about “All My Love,” “Can’t Live Without” and probably half of the 11 songs on “One-Way Conversations,” the full-length follow-up to Hollyn’s breakout self-titled 2015 EP. Nothing sounds like filler, not even “Party in the Hills,” a slight stylistic departure featuring Andy Mineo and Steven Malcolm that contains echoes of monster Miley Cyrus’ monster hit “Party in the USA.”
Lyrically the album focuses on applying faith to real-world situations. Yet “In Awe,” a beautiful, piano-driven track highlighting Hollyn’s impressive vocal chops, might as well be a praise song.

“Can’t speak
So close I can feel You breathe
You’re so holy and worthy
You know what I’ve been
Can’t move
So close to You I’m see-through
No, not innocent like you
Oh God, I’m sorry”
“One-Way Conversations” is worth checking out.

Reviewed by Jeremy Henderson