Physical Edition: Lonnie Holley: Keeping a Record of It

Format: CD + Booklet

Following the acclaim of his debut Just Before Music, Birmingham, Alabama’s Lonnie Holley returned with Keeping a Record of It — an otherworldly journey of improvised sound: part sermon, part cosmic transmission, and entirely one-of-a-kind.

Recorded between 2006–2011, the album features expansive, improvised songs with guest appearances from Cole Alexander (Black Lips), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter/Atlas Sound), and visual artist Lillian Blades. Holley’s raw, unfiltered approach — layering improvisational keyboard lines with free-form lyrics — draws comparisons to Sun Ra, outsider folk, gospel preachers, and word-jazz poets, yet remains uniquely his own.

What’s Included:

• 1 CD with 7 tracks
• Guest appearances by Cole Alexander, Bradford Cox, and Lillian Blades
• Booklet featuring lyrics and Holley’s artwork

Praise & Reviews:

“Last year, at 62, after decades of singing while he worked, Holley released his jarring debut album, Just Before Music, a marriage of improvised keys and the rambling, hollow bellow of his voice, as well as the first original recording put out by the archival folk label Dust-to-Digital. This year, he’ll tour, and he recently starred in a Whitney Museum group show, Blues for Smoke.” — The Fader

“Lonnie Holley sings with an intense, emotional voice and unleashes lyrics without consistent meter or rhyme over gossamer keyboard lines that hang in the ether. His music is a blues nebula, splotched with riffy word jazz that shares in some rappers’ collagist aesthetics as well as the runaway passion of a gospel preacher enlivened by the Spirit.” — Aquarium Drunkard

“Lonnie Holley certainly fits Dust-to-Digital’s continuum and mission of seeking out the overlooked and offering it a spotlight. It’s never too late to discover a treasure. Holley has been an art-world star for some time. Overlooked until now, his music doesn’t simply demand attention; his songs devour it.” — Grayson Currin