ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Memory Bank,’ Drew & Ellie Holcomb Revel in the Ups and Downs of Life
Henry Carrigan
Posted On January 22, 2025
Starting a new year often involves reflecting on the roads we’ve traveled and casting glances on the ups and downs of our journeys. On their first full-length album ever, Memory Bank, Drew & Ellie Holcomb collaborate on thirteen new songs that celebrate love, hope, the open road, and the resilience of family, and the power of memory.
The rollicking title track kicks off the album with straight-ahead rock and roll and soaring harmonies. “Memory Bank” is a road song that reminds us that the memories we make rolling down the highway make us rich beyond measure and that such excursions are “money in the memory bank.”
The soulful blues ballad “Rain or Shine” features the duo alternating lead vocals on the opening two verses before harmonizing on the remainder of the song; the couple revels in the unity of their love for each other: “I’ll be your wildflower/You’ll be my rain and shine.”
The frolicking country shouter “Never Gonna Let You Go” rides along a funky hoedown vibe as the singers declare that they’re holding onto the love they’ve just found, while “High Seas”—with sonic echoes of “You Really Got a Hold on Me”—shines with lilting guitars in an ode to riding on the waves of life’s storms.
The funked up “Shut Up and Dance” testifies to a singular way of finding one’s future love on the dance floor, while the radiant harmonies of “We Can Go Dancing” embrace the tender beauty of waltzing through every moment of life, even the trying ones. The album closes with “Carry the Water,” a sparely-delivered testimony to endurance and looking beneath the surface at the mysteries of life.
It’s a treat to start the year with Drew & Ellie Holcomb’s music, and Memory Bank illustrates their shared passion for capturing the brilliance and darkness of life and love in sparkling words and dazzling melodies.
Drew & Ellie Holcomb’s Memory Bank is out Jan. 24.
