Song of the Week – Holdin’ It Down, Frazey Ford

Ignored           Obscured            Restored

Former member of the Be Good Tanyas, Frazey Ford is an artist to be reckoned with.  The Vancouver based, country soul artist released her third solo album earlier this year.  U kin B the Sun is another leap forward in her creative growth.  That’s a huge accomplishment after the giant step she took with her last album, Indian Ocean, when she incorporated Memphis soul into her sound by recoding with the Hi Rhythm Section that supported all of Al Green’s huge 70s hits.

Take a listen to “Holdin’ It Down.”

I held it all together, heavy on my mind
I held it all together but I left it all behind
I didn’t see you coming, coming down the line
Traffic in the atmosphere, salt inside your smile

Lessons I’m unlearning, back and forth in time
Coming up all rocky and opening in my mind

Chorus:

I have been holding down long as I can remember
You know the only thing I have depended upon has been me
Oh well, but I’d like to rest on the shore
Before I go back and do more
And I’m taking a plane and a car straight to your door

The sap it runs in springtime
The thaw begins at night
My hips are moving forward
I come from a mellow line

Reckless deep abandon
Streets that open wide
I thought I wasn’t ready
I was ready all the time

Chorus

Ford, quoted on her record label (Kill Beat Music) website describes the lyrics saying, “To me it’s about an embodied sense of female resilience and self-reliance through generations mixed with the urge to rest and trust in another.”

The instrumentation on this song follows the axiom that sometimes “less is more.”  I love the way the single root note is pounded in time through the chorus.  The sparse arrangement leaves plenty of room for Ford’s expressive vocal.

Check out the rest of Ford’s recordings on Spotify.  You won’t be disappointed!

Enjoy… until next week.

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