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It is little wonder, given how much Griffin Holtby has already experienced of life, that the young singer/songwriter brings such palpable passion to his single “Overgrown”. The potent imagery underlying the song title is well chosen and Holtby’s writing, its melody first composed during his high school years and later fleshed out with lyrical content inspired by a relationship turned toxic, captivates listeners even during an initial hearing.
“Overgrown” has a restless creative spirit underlying its sound and presentation; no one needs to challenge Holtby to push himself as an artist and young man, he evidences the desire to do so on his own in every phrase and passage of this track. “Overgrown” demands that listeners take Holtby seriously; everything about this cut smacks of a performer who will be around for many years to come.
I plan to follow him as much as I can each step of the way. There’s so much promise realized here that it is a thrilling to think where he can take his talents as he continues to blossom and grow. Rather than allowing himself to be undone by life’s slings and arrows, Holtby has poured his desire, chagrin, and yearning into popular art that can entertain as well as spellbind its target audience. He never bites off any more than he can chew with this release and his passion, palpable throughout the release, is restrained rather than overwrought. Though it is scarcely over three and a half minutes in length, Holtby manages to encompass a small universe of thought and feeling in this track without ever leaving the listener feeling overwhelmed.
His voice connects with me more than any other single element. He has the natural gifts of a soul singer, not the sort that’s drenched in sweat and on their knees in front of a rapt audience, but instead the stylish variety in full command of their considerable powers and able to connect with the audience with ease. His voice and vocal phrasing elevates the solid lyrical content several notches and expands on the track’s melodic riches rather than mimicking it. It’s a typical move by comparatively unimaginative vocalists to merely follow the melody in lockstep rather than counterpoint it and Holtby’s decision to play against it with his own vocal melody further reveals the extent of his talents.
I especially enjoy how Holtby takes us in unexpected directions. The track follows an unvarying musical path for the most part but, in the second half of the song, takes one rewarding detour. It comes when the instrumentation defining much of the cut backs away and, instead, we are treated to hearing Holtby’s voice and piano playing working together. This passage in the track shows off its melodic strengths in starker detail than anywhere previous or after. It is an exclamation point of sorts for the track and, for me, is the section of the song that sticks deepest in my consciousness. Griffin Holtby will have many more moments like this to come.
Jodi Marxbury