The Texan Jolie Holland, who already tried her hand at song writing on the piano when she was six, was not the kind of girl that felt at home at school. First she lived a bohemian life by travelling through the Southern states with musicians she had befriended. Later she became a member of the folk group The Be Good Tanyas, a band she left after their first album. Initially Catalpa was meant to be some sort of demo, but that CD eventually caused her big breakthrough. In her pleasant voice we hear echos of Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. The singer, who also plays the guitar and the violin, is fooling around with many styles on her recent album Escondida. She takes country music to a light swing, but is equally comfortable with a simple blues.
