Barry Holdship is one of those artists who seem so out of step with the sounds of the current Top 40 that his style becomes more timeless and timely than anything else you'll hear on the radio this or any other year. Blending the seemingly innocent charm of Bobby Fuller, Gene Pitney, Elvis, and Buddy Holly, then mixing in a dash of Lennon and McCartney and tossing in a few slices of country and power pop, Holdship is definitely a man of the moment, but that moment could have been at any stage during the 50-plus years since rock roll was born.

Leaping into the music scene in the early '80s in Detroit, Barry formed the quintet Let's Talk About Girls with his brother Bill. The band was a huge regional success, garnering praise and awards all over Detroit and the Midwest. The band released its brilliant self-titled EP on Holdship's own Bad Axe Records and supported name acts such as Gang of Four, Dwight Yoakam, the Replacements, and others. I Really Wanna Know, one of the standout tracks on the EP, was featured in the hit movie #Basic Instinct. At the time, they were briefly managed by the legendary John Sinclair! Although their sound was traditional pop and rock roll, they were considered too "rock" for labels searching for the latest trendy "new wave" sounds and, sadly, were not snapped up by a major label.

With his sights set on expanding his musical vision, Holdship and the band moved west to California, following his brother Bill, who had left the band to work for the legendary Creem magazine. After a few years, members of the band drifted back to Michigan, leaving only Barry remaining from the original lineup. Let's Talk About Girls' track on Melody Fair: A Tribute to the Bee Gees was actually a Holdship solo recording yet remains the final release under the band's name.

The Jesse Garon Project, Holdship's stunning first solo album (billed to the Barry Holdship Four, a nod to one of his heroes, Bobby Fuller) was released in 1997. A brilliant mix of traditional rock, country, power pop, and soul, Holdship was accepted by many of the trendy L.A. scenes and became an important player in all of them. Ruff Trax, his second solo release, hit the shelves in 2004. Every much the equal of his debut, Ruff Trax was the more emotionally powerful of the two and remains a favorite with his fans. ~ Steve Schnee, Rovi