Singer-songwriter Deborah Holland has been on a creative hot streak. Her critically acclaimed 2025 album, ‘I Made It This Far, ’ converted new fans while reminding older ones that she is still a force to be reckoned with as a performer and songwriter. The Refugees’ 2023 album ‘ California’ also showed the interpretive skills of Holland as well as bandmates Wendy Waldman and Cidny Bullens. Unadorned is a left turn from those two releases. On this album, available now as a digital-only release, Holland gives us eleven songs in a stripped-down acoustic form. Mixed by Wendy Waldman and Abraham Parker, ‘Unadorned’ reminds me of Rosanne Cash’s ‘10 Song Demo’ album.
Holland handles all the instrumentation, which lets the songs breathe and the listener focus on the often heady subject matter.
“Last Helicopter Out of Saigon” pulls no punches. It’s immediately relatable and doesn’t hide the mess we are in as a civilization. Holland’s voice is strong as ever while the melodic acoustic guitar foundation is a perfect foil for Holland’s lyrics.
The elegant “If You Wanna Be in My Life” could have been an outtake from “I’ve Made It This Far. Holland’s delivery is direct and full of passion, totally matching the forceful lyrics. Even though it’s just her voice and acoustic guitar, I could also envision this on an Animal Logic album.
“Over You”, with its descending chorus and melancholy lyrics, is a touching look at the end of a relationship and the desire to move forward. The song benefits from the acoustic guitar setting and one of Holland’s best vocals on the album. It’s so sad yet so beautiful. The acoustic piano-centered “Judas In A Dress” is a descriptive, vivid tale of an unraveled relationship. A relationship which seems unrepairable, yet the song hints of an additional narrative which isn’t fully revealed. Maybe this is a story best left as is.
“The plaintive fingerpicked “The Ordinary Days” is a reflective song on gratitude and redemption. It’s another song which could have been included in ‘I Made It This Far’. Perhaps the song took on a theme which was addressed enough on that album; still, it’s hard to believe such a strong song remained unreleased until now.
“Over The Line” contains touches of blues and Holland’s gutsiest vocal delivery. The song could have worked well in a band setting, but Holland’s acoustic guitar and vocal approach doesn’t soften the song’s main theme. This one would have also been suited for The Re
fugees.
“Can You Tell Me” closes the album and it’s as delightful, if not more delightful than th Animal Logic version released as a stand-alone single in 2025. Holland’s acoustic guitar and vocals have the heady task of filling a void left by the absence of Clarke and Copeland, not to mention the pedal steel from the AL version and Howard Levy’s harmonica, yet it works in this setting.
The eleven songs on ‘Unadorned’ are all delightful. I can’t help but wonder how some of them might sound in a different musical setting. I also wonder what other gems are in the Holland vault. There is no filler here.
‘Unadorned is out now at https://deborahholland.bandcamp.com/album/unadorned. Unfortunately, it’s not available on vinyl or CD, as I would love more context around each of these gems.