Released by: Cool Green Recordings/Mascot Label Group
Release Date: Out Now
Genre: Rock / Americana
Links: https://www.hollisbrown.com/
Album Line-up:
Mike Montali – Vocals/Guitar
Jonathan Bonilla – Guitar
Adam Bock – Keys
Andrew Zehnal – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Blood From A Stone
2. Stubborn Man
3. She Don’t Love Me Now
4. Do Me Right
5. After The Fire
6. Forever In Me
7. Someday Soon
8. The Way She Does It
9. Bad Mistakes
10. Go For It.
Hailing from one of my old stomping grounds, Queens, NY, Hollis Brown have released their latest album, titled Ozone Park via the Mascot Label Group. While that label instantly conjures up thoughts of a number of contemporary blues acts, the label has been steadily expanding into further genres and territories, with Hollis Brown being one such act. Ozone Park is a beautifully produced album, with a fat and funky rock sound, that is sure to be a timeless classic. This is music to lose yourself in, with every track sounding radio ready and flowing effortlessly from one song to another over the course of the album.
Opening with ‘Blood From A Stone’ the band comes in one by one as Montali’s vocals chime in and the whole song comes together to let you know you’re in for something special. ‘Stubborn Man’ has a classic Lenny Kravitz feel to it, with a catchy riff and grovetastic rhythm, Montali’s soulful vocals are just sublime. Moving onto ‘She Don’t Love Me Now’, is pure 60s Americana and is destined to be a fan favourite, with a sound begging for a live performance.
‘Do Me Right’ was the first single to be released off the album and drops things down a notch, creating a darker atmosphere than the previous tracks. This stylistic track harkens to the music produced by Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
As the album expands through the languid and dreamlike ‘After The Fire’, the mid-tempo classic rocker ‘Forever In Me’, the Indie-rock infused ‘Someday Soon’, and the vibrant ‘The Way She Does it’, the band builds back up to the energy of the first half of the album with ‘Bad Mistakes’. With a fat West Coast rock sound, this is probably the hardest and heaviest track on the album and one of the stand-out tracks for me. This will have them dancing in the aisles during live shows.
As the album closes with ‘Go For It’, it’s clear that Hollis Brown have put together a stonkingly good album. With elements of funk, blues, disco, and hard rock thrown in for good measure, the eclectic sounds of Ozone Park feel fresh and new, but also harken back to the lazy days of summer in 1970s New York City. This upbeat and genre-bending album belongs in every music lovers collection. I highly recommend getting your hands on this album as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Erik De’Viking
My Global Mind – UK Editor
Erik De’Viking is a London based freelance music journalist. His musical interests include music in all its forms, and he is constantly on the lookout for new bands and genres to discover and later preach about to the masses.
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