Holly

iTunes Review

Justin Nozuka wrote and recorded the songs on his debut, Holly, when he was just a kid in high school, settling in Toronto after leaving NY with his mom (the Holly in the album title) following her divorce from Justin’s father. “Save Him” is a chilling account of domestic abuse, and “Mr. Therapy Man” has the desperate narrator asking how he is to go on living when his love deserts him. Nozuka’s therapist may advise him to explore his abandonment issues after hearing “Be Back Soon,” which brightens things up with a little slide acoustic guitar and cheery handclaps, even though the subject of the song doesn’t answer her admirer’s call to “be back soon.”  The languid, jazzy feel of “Golden Train” also deals with the topic of leaving (more of a stay vs. go question), and even the gorgeous “Supposed to Grow Old,” with its organic Devendra Banhart feel, is about ... well, you know. Nozuka’s style and sound is unique and quietly authoritative; he has a sweet, soulful and light vocal touch, and fits nicely into the current crop of soul/pop singers currently struggling for radio airplay. A stunning debut, from an artist with much to say.