‘It’s an old idea, I’m just trying to make it new’ is a line from ‘Midnight Blue’ – a new single from singer/songwriter Ben Holland.
‘Who is Ben Holland?’ I hear you ask. He used to be one of many buskers in London’s Waterloo underground station. It was while he was busking that the legendary Joan Armatrading – who recently played at a sold-out gig at the Usher Hall – heard his distinct vocals. But she didn’t pass him by like so many others did. Instead, she asked him to be part of her Local Talent project comprising live dates and double album.
“Midnight Blue’ is a striking song. It has a directness and an impact. It resonates; it’s one of those songs – like many of Armatrading’s work – that the more times it’s played the more times it gets to you.
Ben Holland may be soft-spoken in person, with his long blonde hair and his eyes of blue, but when it comes to his music he is anything but. An old voice on young shoulders, (he has been called a latter-day Dylan), he has stories to tell and a narrative to deliver, and it’s one that crosses the generations.
He has two albums and two EPs on his own label under his belt already.
Midnight Blue – which is released on 19th October 2018 – is a great new single from a great new artist. Ben Holland’s first for Nub Music, it precedes a new album and a series of live dates.
You can expect to hear a lot more about Ben Holland in the months to come.
Author of The Team for Me - 50 Years of Following Hearts. Runs Mind Generating Success, a successful therapy practice in Edinburgh. Contact me if you want rid of any unwanted habits. Twitter @Mike1874
