Today, the Atlanta-by-way-of-Alabama artist Lonnie Holley unveils his new single, “I Am A Part of the Wonder” (with Moor Mother), from his forthcoming album Oh Me Oh My, out March 10th on Jagjaguwar. “I Am A Part of the Wonder” follows the previously shared title track with REM’s Michael Stipe, “an opportunity to experience beauty moment by moment” (NPR Music), and is one of two Moor Mother collaborations boasted on Oh Me Oh My. Written by Holley alongside Camae Ayewa and Jacknife Lee (The Cure, REM, Modest Mouse), “I Am A Part of the Wonder” also features Lee on percussion, drums, bass, marimba, kalimba, vocals, keyboards, and synthesizer programming. During each Oh Me Oh Mysession, Holley and Lee would discuss the essence of the songs and distill Holley’s words to their most immediate center.
Listen to Lonnie Holley’s “I Am A Part of the Wonder” (with Moor Mother)
Oh Me Oh My is an achievement in the refinement of Holley’s impressionistic, stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Both elegant and ferocious, it sharpens the work contained on Holley’s 2018 Jagjaguwar debut, MITH. Oh Me Oh My is both stirring in one moment and a balm the next. It details histories both global and personal, and taps collaborators like Moor Mother, Michael Stipe, Sharon Van Etten, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and more to give Holley’s message flight, and to reaffirm Holley as a galvanizing, iconoclastic force across the music community.
Holley’s music and visual art (which is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and National Gallery of Art, and is represented by the illustrious Blum & Poe) is much more about our place in the cosmos itself. It’s about how we overcome adversity and tremendous pain; about how we develop and maintain an affection for our fellow travelers; about how we stop wishing for some “beyond” and start caring for the one rock we have. Holley has never delivered this message as clear, as concise, and as exhilaratingly as he does on Oh Me Oh My.
Next month, Holley will perform at the Royal Academy in London, followed by two performances at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.
Pre-order Oh Me Oh My
Listen to “Oh Me, Oh My” (with Michael Stipe)
Lonnie Holley Tour Dates
Fri. Mar. 17 – London, UK @ Royal Academy
Sat. Mar. 18 – London, UK @ Café Oto
Thu. Mar. 30 – Sun. Apr. 2 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears
Thu. May 18 – New York, NY @ The New York Society for Ethical Culture
Keep your mind open.
[I wonder if you’ll subscribe today?]
[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]