Terry Holder

When I first heard Terry Holder’s cover of “When Will I Be Loved”, I knew that I was listening to a special singer. The word “incomparable” came to mind and I was hooked. Her 4th studio CD “Flowers At Midnight” carries on with music that further enhances her ability to grip the listener with vocals that take you on a journey through a life inspired by magical events and everyday occurrences. Her soulful voice and award winning lyrics will make you smile, cry and realize that her new CD expresses the maturity of a singer/songwriter that has discovered her path and is sure to be taking her to places sought by many, but found by few. Jump in to “Flowers At Midnight”, you wont be disappointed.



Artie Martello
- Artie Martello of WIOX Radio

Terry Holder has gone and done it! I didn't think she could, but here she is at the top of her game once again.

Who could have known she could beat her last album? “Flowers At Midnight” is absolutely top notch. It flows smoothly, interconnecting and weaving from one track to the next. Terry Holder has the vocal skills to capture one's imagination and attention like no other I know. I was literally waiting with bated breath for this album. Terry Holder has not disappointed. This lady is sensual and driven to perfection. A great combination to have. Her lyrics are fabulous. They not only tell a story, they allow you to live through them whilst hearing each track.

The instrumentation is beyond good. Lord, such exceptional musicians working on this album! No wonder it sounds brilliant. It is cohesive and tight, bringing us to our knees! I tell you, instrumentation can make or break you. This album is perfection!

Wait till you hear it! Each track was orchestrated with such great care to detail, and it definitely shows! The production level is over the top good. You can actually hear each instrument clearly but Terry Holder's brilliant vocal shines through. Such a professional job. Obviously, mixing and mastering did its job to the letter. Fantastic job!! Excellent recording!

Look, for me, this entire album is going to get a lot of airplay. Each track is beautifully done and very easily addictive. Something I always look for, but it is more than that. I hear Terry Holders heart in each one. She has given herself to this album, 100%. That is a hard call these days. Most don't have the capacity to give that much. It's scary I know. But Terry Holder is fearless; she is a true professional with a huge talent. She has just proven herself once again. Kudo's Terry. You hit this one outta the park, girl!!

The 3 tracks I have singled out for this review are:

1 - To Love Her

This is an upbeat song with a gorgeous storyline. Terry Holder nails the vocals on this track; so much so, the song stays with you all day. You will be humming it for ages. The guitar and drums will have you bopping in your shoes. Love, Love, Love it! The harmonies frame Terry Holders gorgeous voice and hold her high. Simply beautiful!

2 - Make Believe

This track had me closing my eyes and swaying in my chair. Such a heartfelt lyric! This one pulls you in folks. Instrumentation is exceptional and love the guitar solo! Harmonies once again are fantastic. But lord lord, listen to Terry Holder's beautiful vocals. Terry definitely raised the bar. It’s getting to be a habit for Terry.

3 - Superman's Wife

Terry Holder has an "S"on her chest. What a brilliant lyric! This is yet another example of Terry Holders uncanny ability to wrap her spectacular voice around a lyric and marry it perfectly with a melody that will bring you to your knees. Can I say more? Superman's wife is orchestrated to win! This is an absolute winner.

Can you see a pattern? Angel Without Wings is my all-time Terry Holder Favorite. Without question! It is sultry, bluesy and sexy! Terry's exceptional vocal melts snow in Alaska in the middle of a snowstorm! Love, Love, Love it!!!!! Instrumentation and orchestration is above all expectations. I will be wearing this one out!

I have to say picking 3 tracks out of this album "Flowers At Midnight" is ridiculous! Each and every track on this album is a favorite. Look, grab your album today! You will see exactly what I am talking about. There is not one thing on this entire album I would change. It is stunning!

And That's How I See It.
Yours in the music,

Shashona McCall

Indie Showcase
www.indieshowcase.net

Awesomeradio.net
www.awesomeradio.net
- Indie Showcase

Terry Holder is a winner of the 2013 Wildflower Songwriting Competition - Wildflower Music Festival

Terry Holder is among 36 songwriters chosen from 800 outstanding submissions from around the world. This is the 42nd year for New Folk and is always one of the highlights of the Kerrville Folk Festival. - KFF

Terry has been selected as finalist in the 2013 Wildflower Songwriting Competition. - Wildflower Music Festival

Terry has been selected as one of the 10 finalists in the 2011 Wildflower Performing Songwriters Contest. - Wildflower Music Festival

Terry Holder is among 36 songwriters chosen from 800 outstanding submissions from around the world. This is the 40th year for New Folk and is always one of the highlights of the Kerrville Folk Festival. - KFF

May - 2010

Terry has been selected as a Kerrville 2010 New Folk Finalist.

Terry was also a finalist in the 2008 New Folk song writing competition. - Kerrville Folk Festival

Terry Holder found her musical calling late in life. A stay at home mom for many years, Holder's youngest child left for college around the time her own mother died. These radical changes enveloped Holder in an emotional whirlwind from which she escaped through writing songs. What started out as catharsis quickly turned to career. Holder's debut album, 2001's Am I Here Is This Me, garnered critical acclaim and notable sales from an independent folk release. Her second album, Colored Rooms, furthered Holder's reputation as an honest songwriter who built stories out of human events and human emotion. Holder returned with her third album in 2008. Ticket To The Moment represents a step forward for Holder. Several years on the road have seasoned her songwriting abilities and helped her develop a story-teller's touch to go with her honest, emotive folk songs.

Ticket To The Moment opens with "Cross Your Mind", a gentle pop song with a bit of backbeat. Holder has great energy here, mixing tough and vulnerable and a pleasantly earthy voice that's a pleasure to listen to. "In God's Eyes" is a song of existential angst & a call to begin living life as opposed to simply letting it happen. "Wrecking Ball" is a brilliant performance that Holder wears as if it were her own story. On "Satellite", Holder captures the act of falling in love in meticulous and poetic grandeur. It's a tremendous example of deft songwriting as Holder brings you into the moment.

"Turn The Car Around" is a dynamic rocker about finding love when you least expect it and when it's least convenient. It's a wow moment; an amazing bit of songwriting that's destined to be covered by others. "When Will I Be Loved" is a melancholic turn with a great melody that shows off Holder's voice in very positive light. "Don't Forget" is a solid love song with a memorable melody and arrangement; the sort you'll be humming along with the first time you hear it. Holder hits a social justice theme with "Crack In The Sidewalk", a song bemoaning society's failure to care for its weakest members. The song has an almost martial air at times, an interesting mix within the country/rock arrangement Holder has crafted. Holder closes with a pair of low-key tunes, "Let's Go Away" and "Sail Goodbye".

Ticket To The Moment is a solid effort with a couple of bright, shining jewels in the crown. Holder's is the sort of voice that quietly catches your attention and holds it. She's not flashy, but her warm, earthy voice and subtle delivery have a way of sneaking up on you. If nothing else, Terry Holder has written some material here that will be revived again and again by other artists over the years. But if there's justice, there's a hit or two on Ticket To The Moment for Holder herself.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy's World

Terry Holder has been named as one of the "New-Folk Finalist" for the 2008 Kerrville Folk Festival. - Kerrville Folk Festival

Terry Holder ingratiates herself straight into our hearts with this latest Release called Ticket To The Moment. This album has it all. 12 Tracks of sheer heaven. Terry Holder has the voice of an angel and proves it in no uncertain terms. Long have we waited for a female singer of her magnitude. She moves easily through genres of Pop, Folk, and Americana with just a kiss from Country. Her expertise is quite astounding. The level of songwriting is superb, taking you the listener deep within the lyrics.
For those of you who have not yet heard Terry's voice, fasten your seatbelts. This lady has the ability to capture your imagination and attention from the first track to the last. Terry's soft, sultry vocal draws you in and lives within your soul. Just as easily, Terry can make your blood boil with excitement and the urge to dance.
Instrumentation is absolutely top notch. These veteran musicians have excelled in making this album incredible. They have showcased Terry Holder's vocals making her unforgettable. A finer match has never been made, perfectly suited for Terry. Production, recording, mixing, mastering and engineering is perfection in motion.
The Three Tracks I have singled out with much difficulty are :
1) In God's Eyes - Terry Holder has shown she can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of todays most elite female pop singers. Her style is unmistakable. This track, while pleasing to the ear, has a strong story line. You will be swept away by both the complexity and simplicity of it. One of our favorites of this incredible album.
2) Satellite - This is an upbeat song with a catchy melody, impeccable vocals and lyric. It's the kind of song you will find yourself singing in your mind as you go about your day. You hear it half way and already you've been zapped into the Terry Holder Zone! One of our most requested tracks. Instrumentation will astound you!
3) Turn The Car Back Around - Prepare to be swept into a frenzy of chair dancing with this one. Terry turns it up a notch and takes you on a ride. Terry Holder rocks it country style, taking us on a journey into this story. Her vocals hold you hostage till the last note. Instrumentation is brilliant.Her gift of delivering spectacular music is not missed on this one. See for yourself.
*** Special Mention** When Will I Be Loved - Cover Terry Holder is one of the few women who does justice to this memorable song. She nails it. Give it a listen and see for yourself.
While these three tracks are magnificent, they are not at all the only excellent tracks on this album. In fact, I could single each and every track out.
It is a rare thing when an artist is this generous on one album. Ticket To The Moment is filled from cover to cover with songs you will feel connected to. This is one of "those" albums. You know the ones I mean. The kind you still pull out 20 years later. It will stand the test of time. It is one of THE best albums I have heard this year. Do yourself a favor, grab it today.

This is how I see it
Yours in the music.

Shashona
Indie Showcase - Indie Showcase

Terry Holder – "Ticket to the Moment"
(Saffron Blonde Records 2009)
If you haven’t paid attention to the music of Terry Holder, slap yourself, hard. That’s pretty much how I felt when I first listened to her. I first came across her at Folk Alliance a couple of years ago. I didn’t know who she was at the moment, but I knew something special was happening. Ticket To The Moment is Terry’s third album. Holder continues to explore her passions through her heartfelt and gutsy songs. The CD delivers her emotionally driven songs around lyrics that take you on a journey with flashes of abandon, heartbreak, love, social- and self-awareness. What amazes me about Terry Holder is her ability to write songs that are so different in sound, but so true to talent. “Cross Your Mind” rocks out with a hint of sassiness that’s provocative. Your toes end up tapping to the strong back beat before you know it. “In God’s Eye” continues to show off Terry’s amazing ability to craft lyrics that evoke a response, whether positive or negative. “Wrecking Ball” is a classic country & western ballad (look out, Nashville). Great imagery! On the Ocean” shows a totally different style. You’ll love her wonderful cover of the Everly Brothers tune “When Will I be Loved?” Recorded in Seattle and Anchorage, she was joined in the studio by veteran musicians Freebo, Gary Shelton, Joel Tepp, Ben Smith, Jerry Holder, John Nyman, Cynthia Morrow and John Morton. Go to www.terryholder.com for concert information and CDs. Terry now resides in Olympia, Washington. I hope they realize what a treasure they have in their back yard! (Matthew Moeller) - Victory Music

Fans of her previous album, “Am I Here, Is This Me”, won’t be disappointed. Holder’s knack for songwriting and a distinctive voice still carry the record.

The lyrics are sparse enough to let the listener relate but at the same time Terry sprinkles her songs with fifty-cent words and gets away with it, “Interrogated by your own Conscience”….. ”Harboring Heartache.” This is the stuff that ordinary people can barely say, let alone sing. The absolute bottom is “Broken no more” but when you get there the fall is cushioned by harmonies as soft as a flannel-lined quilt. Not a bad landing - Anchorage Press

Took a death and her kids leaving home to jostle Terry Holder’s latent talent with words. Empty nest syndrome set in, till one day Holder began writing her way out of depression. One line led to another and all of the sudden she had a hat full of songs and a fierce desire to record them for her kids. Couple of those works, “Twilight Love” and “Good Night”, recorded on her debut CD “Am I Here Is This Me” landed in the top 5 folk and pop categories in APRN’s 2001 Alaska Song of the Year Contest. “People my age tend to limit themselves,” she said. Now three years later Holder’s releasing her follow-up CD “Colored Rooms.”
- Alaska This Month

Terry Holder doesn’t recognize her life anymore. A growing album catalog. Release parties. Minor celebrity. Strangers confiding that they’ve connected with her music. Where did all this come from? The local singer/songwriter led a different life five years ago, when her full-time job was stay–at home mom. The position was downsized when the youngest of her three daughters moved away, a transition that coincided with the passing of Holder’s own mother. Holder’s home was empty, and her heart was broken.

While Holder used her first record “Am I Here Is this Me” as therapy, “Colored Rooms” is an outgoing disc, mirroring her bubbling confidence as a performer and writer. It’s also a journal for the relationships in and around Holder’s life, a place of Lovers, family and friends.
- Anchorage Daily News

Some words to describe the Anchorage singer and acoustic guitarists impressive debut CD: pretty, tender, breathy, sweet.

Holder possesses a voice that sounds young and petite. If you go for sensitive female singers, a mellow version of Lisa Loeb, then check out this disc. The production is airy and tight and Holder shows nice songwriting skills, letting down an unwanted suitor in one tune with “cordially I’m saying goodnight”.

Holder offers lots of gentle gems here. The opening track, “Twilight Love”, had me listening over and over.
- Anchorage Daily News 2001

"Ticket to the Moment," 2008 The lovely C# minor guitar arpeggio that opens "Cross Your Mind" makes a statement. Throughout, this record will have no fear of being pretty. In an album where most everyone is falling in or out of love, there's little new to say, but all the loveliness proves more than enough to keep this disk in the player. The highlight of the record is a revelatory cover of Phil Everly's "When Will I Be Loved." I always considered the versions we've heard before -- even the Brothers' -- a bit too jaunty. In this down-tempo take, just the knife on strings slide is enough to make you weep let alone Holder's sultry-sad vocals. "Satellite's" shimmering twelve-string Rickenbacker suggests someone's a Byrds fan. This track should come with a warning label: when Ms. Holder coos, "Let's drink fine red wine in my living room," some listeners will find themselves combing their hair and donning their snazziest outfits.
© David Kleiner
- Minor 7th