available at: http://www.angelfire.com/va/sirensmagazine/mary.html
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All effective art , in the words of Rainer Maria Rilke , demands that its creator describe his or her " sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and the belief in some sort of beauty - describe all these with loving , quiet , humble sincerity, and use to express yourself , the things in your environment, the images from your dreams , and the objects of your memory." Up and comer, Mary Dolan , proves that adhering to such advice can produce nothing less than shear genius . (Another) Holy Day (Earth/Cargo Music,USA) embraces the heartfelt honesty that most singer/songwriters aspire to achieve for the duration of a musical career. Mary Dolan manages to reach these heights in a single album . Armed with a voice that is equal parts grit and grace , this San Diegan embraces the intricacies of life in her lyrics and holds them together with infectious melodies .
For (Another) Holy Day , Mary teams up with a myriad of musical masters including legendary songwriter , Bernie Taupin( Elton John) and guitar god , Jimmy Crespo (Aerosmith) ! "I never could have dreamed I would collaborate with anyone as cool and great as Bernie Taupin!" claims Dolan . The result of the collaboration . . . an ethereal song which portrays love as a sort of religious experience entitled "You Freed Me." "It accidentally , but very appropriately ties in with the whole (Another) Holy Day theme - like it was supposed to work out that way!" attests Dolan . The prevalence of the religious theme about which she speaks comes as no surprise given that Dolan gained most of her early music experiences from the Church choir , her mother's piano playing and Mary's older sibling's singing and playing guitar . "Sister Mary" contains some of the more obvious allusions to a holy upbringing as details like "And I was drinkin' altar wine when I was just a scrub" are scattered throughout the piece. However, do not think that the religious mentions deem this song a hymn. The gutsy howl of Dolan's vocals and thrashing acoustic guitar combined with Jimmy Crespos' guitar wizardry enables "Sister Mary" to stand out as the album's most magnetic track. The choral chants and violin featured give the song a slightly Celtic feel and also connect with Dolan's Irish lineage . While one might think that somehow the rawness which fuels Dolan's work could get lost amidst the layering of instruments on the track , producer, Josquin Des Pres, manages to keep the honesty intact.
The same can be said for the entirety of (Another) Holy Day . Each cut is lucid and captures the fiery essence that Mary exudes on stage . "Where Melancholy Goes" pulls the listener close with its storyteller approach and can almost be said to whisper the lines ,"It's a hot summer night . You can hear the crickets scream ." Dancing wildly across the guitar strings like barefoot children playing hopscotch on scorching asphalt , Mary's fingers pluck out a language of their own to accompany the soulfully haunting tone of the song. It comes as no surprise that Dolan's guitar work is divine given that she taught herself at age six to play and has done so ever since . While guitar is obviously her forte , she is also an exceptional piano player. "Genius" speaks for itself within the title. Rhythmically reminiscent of Tori Amos' "Happy Phantom", this cut could easily find its way into that crevice of the brain that repeats a song throughout the day. The lyrics of the track , however, transcend the fare offered on Top 40 radio . Dolan personifies the qualities that seem to evade and taunt her , "Inspiration and Insight tease me as older siblings will . They won't let me wear their clothes and send me off to the Goodwill," though its obvious that they hung around for the crafting of this track.
Much like a good Guiness , (Another) Holy Day is "robust , mellow and satisfying." Empowered by punch packing vocals and rooted in honesty and experience , this release is by far one of the best indie albums released this year. Having already caught the eyes and ears of many industry "power hitters" and opening for acts like Ani DiFranco , Dar Williams , and the Young Dubliners, Mary is destined to board a "rocket to the promise land" of mainstream recognition.
-Hilary Langford
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