Andy Hollinden is a man who understands good music. As a professor of rock history for the IU School of Music, he teaches classes about Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix and the rock greats of the 1970s and 1980s.
Andy Hollinden
Heat to Fragrance
Self-released
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On his recently released album Heat to Fragrance, Hollinden shows he can also be a creator as well as an instructor. Though the album lacks a consistent direction and functions more like a collection of singles than a cohesive unit, the songwriting is some of the best locally produced material in quite some time.
Hollinden's major flaw on Heat to Fragrance is his inability to take one musical format and stick with it. The album is a rock album, but he bounces back and forth between subgenres on almost every track. One track might be a ballad, the next will be a guitar-based instrumental and another might be funky.
Despite the inconsistency, Hollinden more than adequately proves his abilities as both a songwriter, singer and, foremost, lead guitarist. His guitar work on tracks such as "Telephone Wire" and "Old School" is some of the best locally produced guitar of the year, and his solid pipes are adequate in taking over when he gives the solos a rest.
The variety of Heat to Fragrance should be enough to suck in just about any rock fan on campus. The songs are accessible enough that Hollinden could be a regular at the Bluebird. But, fortunately, he does not compromise himself, and every track on the album is thought through.
There will probably never be an IU class called The Music of Andy Hollinden, but the man proves he is more than a mere imitator of the rock greats he teaches about. His album is a testament to the great musicians he teaches about, but he certainly is not an imitator.
