HXLT - HXLT (Album Review)

It seems like the better part of a decade that I've waited for a Holt album. He was formally known as Hollywood Holt when he rose up during the Chicago hipster rap scene that birthed acts like The Cool Kids and Kidz In The Hall. Holt was originally slated to release an album titled Hollywood's Greatest Hits, but for a series of reasons it just never happened. I was kind of losing hope that we'd ever hear a full project from Holt. Well enter GOOD Music who signed Holt, sans the Hollywood name, and here we are a few short months later with an official Holt album. With this album Holt has gone through a big reinvention from his early successful singles such as "Freshman". He's moved away from more straight rap oriented songs towards more singing and a much more heavily rock influenced sound. I think this might be one of my longest awaited full lengths from an artists and I was really pumped to hit play on this album.

Sound wise there's an 80s post/punk vibe meets hip hop with just a touch of electronic vibe on HXLT's debut album. The sound is heavily influenced by bands like Joy Division, The Clash, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure, etc. Holt creates this sound with a brand of songwriting that isn't the most original in theory. We've seen countless artists try to create a similar sound, but he really creates quite a unique listening experience with the way this album is produced, the beat oriented style of the music, the vibe that is created, and Holt's charismatic ability to perform and perfect the style he's offering. It's also an album that will no doubt have a big broad fan appeal. You could easily enjoy this if you are a fan of any of the genres I compare it to at the beginning. "Live To Death", "Reaper", and "Guitar" are great introductions to the sound of this album. "Reaper" kicks the album off and it's a really strong start. Holt singing in the chorus is instantly catchy. In a lot of ways the album has a hypnotic way of drawing the listener in. Holt's vocals and the production style has a pretty good hand in it. Holt's vocals create, at times, a hypnotic, droning, emotional style that pulls the listener in. What I'm talking about is really apparent on the debut single, "Live To Death". It's just dark, droning, upbeat, and showcases the vocal approach really nicely.

The sole feature on the album is Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill on the song "Together". She is a great addition to the track and adds some good punk flavor to the song. "Guitar" produced by Mano is the only song not produced by Holt. Mano is the cousin and longtime collaborator with Holt so it's only natural that he shows up on the album. The pair create a song that is a big standout on the album. Other than those two spots the album is a full-on Holt affair and I think his producing most of the album really guides the sound and compliments what he's doing vocally. The production is top notch and it is what really guides the songs and adds a lot of energy to the tracks.

This album is a big success. It's something fairly different and kind of a breath of fresh air musically. I like the way Holt borrows a little here and there from styles and genres and mashes them together in a really nice, cohesive way. It's just a neat mash-up of a lot of things that I can't help but enjoy. The album really doesn’t have one skipper and it is solid all the way. I definitely recommend checking this one out!