Dorian & Nayanna Holley

Dorian Holley, backup singer for Michael Jackson (Dorian was singer and Vocal  Director on the This Is It tour), Rod Stewart, James Taylor, etc. partners with his  daughter Nayanna Holley, herself a veteran backup singer for Kelly Clarkson, P!nk,  St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow, et al, fully realizing a cross-generational musical legacy.  This is the first album for the father-daughter singing tandem, a collection of  favorite songs from the 70s and 80s, chosen at the height of the global pandemic to  recall our ability to heal and to hope for better days ahead. The album is produced  by bassist Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Sia, Bruno Mars, Bruce Springsteen), and  features legendary keyboardist Larry Goldings (John Mayer, James Taylor), guitarist  Chris Bruce (Seal, Meshell Ndegecello), and drummer Abe Rounds (Ndegecello, Blake  Mills, Sara Bareilles).  

The annals and anecdotes of human history often refer to those who dedicate their  lives to “the family business” – a devotion to a particular craftmanship that originated  with the dreams of a visionary ancestor, and a determination to continue that legacy  on through each passing generation. There are families of innkeepers in both Europe  and Asia who have maintained their lodgings for centuries. Restaurateurs, bakers, carpenters, piano makers, etc. have similar tales to tell in terms of their lasting  lineages.  But in music, those family ties do not seem to extend anywhere near as long. Perhaps  it is the fickle nature of an artisan life that runs counter to such stodgy notions of a  firm familial foundation. Career success as a musician is anything but guaranteed, and  one cannot simply pass on their innate gifts of musicianship to their offspring like a  secret sourdough recipe. To have exceptional musical talent is akin to winning the  DNA lottery, and perhaps it’s too much to ask of our maker to continue to hit the  genetic jackpot for not only our children but our grandchildren and great grandchildren.  

Yet, these instances do happen for musicians on occasion. “I’ve seen lots of families  carry on the legacy, but I’m actually struggling to think of any that work together,”  says Nayanna Holley, who went to school with both Alex Isley (daughter of Ernie Isley  of the Isley Brothers) and Gerald Clayton (son of jazz bassist John Clayton), both of  whom now lead successful music lives of their own. Nayanna herself is the daughter of  Dorian Holley, who was Michael Jackson’s backup singer for many years and is one of  the premier professional singers and vocal coaches in music for the past three  decades. Nayanna was a “road baby” on most of Jackson’s tours, starting with the  “BAD” world tour, when she was only three years old.  

Dorian Holley remembers his daughter always being around while he did his thing. “I  had a music room; a little studio, and she was always at my feet as I was working,” he  remembers. He brought her along to rehearsals, had her sing a bit in church, and of  course, brought her along on tours with Jackson, James Taylor, or whomever he  happened to be out with. “She was absorbing all that knowledge without me really  thinking about it very much,” he admits. “To be honest, I didn’t really think she sang  very much or took it very seriously at all until it was too late.”  

Dorian did, however, enroll his daughter at the Los Angeles County High School for the  Arts, which helped Nayanna find her own artistic way forward, giving her the  motivation to follow in her father’s footsteps as a career singer. Music has returned  her embrace, in the form of opportunities to tour in support of Kelly Clarkson, Selena  Gomez, and Sheryl Crow, and sing behind Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Carrie  Underwood, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, and on and on. Her voice can be heard on  countless records and soundtracks to movies like “The Eternals,” “Encanto,” “Coming  2 America,” and “Mulan.”   And most importantly, Nayanna and her father have become the exception to the rule  she noted, working together often. They find themselves frequently on the same  sessions, including the soundtrack to the acclaimed 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” and  they partnered together in contracting (and singing in) the Oscars Choir 2020, 53  singers who performed all four Oscar nominated original songs that year.  

And yes, they do their own music as well, performing on stage together, and more  recently, making videos. During the pandemic, they came together to record a version  of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” for an online performance in 2021, in honor  of Black History Month. They had asked guitarist Chris Bruce and bassist Kaveh  Rastegar to play for the video, and for the latter, the experience of working with  these two exceptional singers was profound. “After we recorded that,” remembers  Rastegar, “I asked them if they had ever recorded an album together. When they  replied that they hadn't, I wanted to try to make that happen as soon as possible.”  

For all they had done together over the years, it had never occurred to Dorian that he  might one day make an album with his daughter. “This project, bless his heart, was  Kaveh’s idea and it came to us as a ‘hey why didn’t we think of that.’ He brought the  idea to us as a gift and we fell right in,” he says.  Rastegar had a strong vision for what this duo project could be. “I was really inspired  by the 1972 Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack album that I had grown up listening to  when we were putting this music together,” he explains. “I loved the way that album  contains known songs - big songs that both artists make their own, backed by an  incredible cast of musicians.”  

With Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway [Atlantic 1972] implanted in their minds,  Rastegar and the Holleys “all went into our own corner and just started listening and  getting inspired,” says Nayanna, who first met the bassist in the late 2000s when she  was singing jazz and has called upon him for her own music since her 2011 debut  album On Love and Fear. “The most important quality for me in the musicians I choose is their ability to make me feel supported on stage,” she explains. “Kaveh’s  always done that. He takes the music seriously and he knows how to compliment what  the entire band is doing–not to mention he’s a great player. Cherry on top is his gentle  disposition and very clear love for music.”  

In addition to Flack & Hathaway, there are plenty of other male/female duets on  record, but hardly any that feature a father with his daughter. As a result, they  intentionally stayed away from covering pre-existing duets. “It’s just weird trying to  sell a love song with my dad,” laughs Nayanna. As a result, there is a shift from more  conventional tropes of romance to themes of hope for humanity, songs with messages  our world needed to be reminded of as we languished in pandemic-induced isolation.  

Once the material was decided upon, Dorian and Nayanna met frequently at  Rastegar’s home studio to work out the arrangements. Soon, the music was ready to  record, and Rastegar booked a week at the studio of engineer Pete Min, the place and  person having become favorites of most of the best musicians in Los Angeles. The best  are exactly who Rastegar turned to, enlisting drummer Abe Rounds and keyboardist  Larry Goldings, along with guitarist Bruce, who played on the original, fateful video  that sparked the entire project.  The whole thing was recorded in one week. “We didn’t have the biggest midget–I  mean budget, in the world,” jokes Dorian, “so careful planning was a must.” He  makes special note of the fact they recorded everything live. “We tried to make something real and immediate. Nobody played toys. No robots. Real singing. Real  playing. No auto tune, thank you.” Everything was one or two takes for the most part.  “The entire process was a delight,” Nayanna recalls succinctly.  

Rastegar, for his part, is excited to see this album come to fruition, having been a fan  of both the Holleys in addition to being a collaborator. “I think it's amazing as a father  [myself] to see a father and daughter perform so consistently at such a high caliber,”  he says. “They make it seem so effortless and casual. They are such treasured  background singers because of the way they sing, blend and of course look on stage.  But individually and together they are truly incredible interpreters of songs and artists  in their own right. They can turn any song into their own. Each musical situation I've  ever been in with either of them, separately or together, has been really beautiful to  be a part of,” he continues, noting his own self-applied burden to help others see and hear what he does in these two unique individuals, who have already established a  legacy of musical excellence spanning from one generation to the next, from father to daughter.

Track Notes:  

The album leads off with “Can’t Find My Way Home,” Steve Winwood’s hit for his  one-time super-collaboration with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, Blind  Faith. Nayanna and Dorian each take a turn singing a verse and chorus, followed by a  smart and soul-flecked organ solo by Goldings as the tune unwinds.  

Next is “People Get Ready,” the song that led to the video that led to this album. It’s  pretty faithful to the original version by the doo-wop group the Impressions, right  down to the key change, although the hard-hitting backbeat groove mirrors Curtis  Mayfield’s later solo versions. The Holleys add their own flavor with a new riff over  the vamp at the end.  

“People Make the World Go Around” is an early song by the Stylistics, who were also  responsible for the hit “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” It gets a modern-funk  treatment that works well with the song’s inherent odd-meter verse and modal  harmony. Dorian’s falsetto is in fine form here, and hearing father and daughter sing  the pre-chorus in octave unison is a delicious hors d'oeuvres.  

The most “contemporary” of this set of tunes is Peter Gabriel’s 1986 hit, “Don’t Give  Up.” It’s also the only song here that originally featured a male/female duet. (“But of  course we couldn’t avoid the gorgeous Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush one,” says Dorian.  “Irresistible.”) The Holleys had previously covered this song on video and reprised  their version here. Rastegar emulates the original bass grove, with Rounds and  Goldings providing subtle support until they break out somewhat in the song’s gospel inflenced middle section. Both singers effectively capture Gabriel and Bush’s sweet  but sorrowful vocalizing.  

Nayanna sings by herself the evergreen Beatles song “Blackbird,” accompanied by  Rastegar on acoustic bass and Goldings on organ. The absence of the well-known,  well-worn guitar part allows her to redefine the melody and lyrics on her own  personal platform.  

“Drive” is another 80s “standard,” reproduced faithfully with the original  asymmetrical backbeat intact (albeit without the over-synthed affectations of that  decade). Hearing father and daughter sing this to each other brings new meaning to  the lyrics, which hint at all the difficult aspects of caring for someone despite their  unwillingness to accept it. Name a family who hasn’t gone through that at some  point. 

Nayanna once heard Roberta Flack sing “Somewhere” live in concert. Of the West  Side Story classic, she remembers how Flack repurposed the song “as a very clear  dedication to the black community. I was gobsmacked!” she recalls. Her father had  introduced that song to her when she was very young, and they continue to share a  love of it. “Adding that song was a no brainer, especially considering the consistent  struggle for justice and equality in our country,” she notes. The song receives a  mellower, soft-rock treatment that provides comfort and assurance to its dramatic  undertones. It’s also a clever feat to reconcile the ample contour of the melody  between their own individual vocal ranges.  

On “Inner City Blues,” singers and band all channel the simmering soul of Marvin  Gaye’s original. A little clav goes a long way. Nayanna and Dorian are at their most  funky here. How can something be so white-hot and cool at the same time?  

“Harvest for the World” was a hit by Nayanna’s classmate’s father’s band, the Isley  Brothers. The arrangement sparkles with Wurlitzer electric piano along with organ,  and Rounds’ restraint at the start pays big dividends as he opens up at the close, like  a resurrection stone.  

Dorian gets his own spotlight on “New Day,” made famous by George Benson, who to  this day really deserves more credit as a singer. The Cecil and Linda Womack soft-rock  ballad gets a faster, more energized treatment which seems more in line with a Donny  Hathaway-type of vibe. Dorian obliges with an inspired performance, but not without  some trepidation. “I had to overthink something, so I saved it ‘til the end,” he  confesses. “For some reason Kaveh wouldn’t let me be too much of a diva though, so I  only messed with it for a minute.”  

The Bill Withers song “Grandma’s Hands,” is a real-world test of any singer’s ability  to sing a lyric with the word “grandma” in it over and over again and still maintain  some semblance of hipness. Withers, of course, could do it better than anyone, but  Dorian and Nayanna certainly pass with flying colors. If only all grandmas could be so  groovy. But in all seriousness, the song pays homage to that person who embodies a  stable pillar of faith, discipline, and love in every solid family.  

The final song, “Joy Inside My Tears,” is an unusual song from Steve Wonder’s  monumental opus, Songs in the Key of Life. The harmonies morph between blues gospel and something approaching Thelonious Monk. Nayanna in particular here  deserves commendation for her sweet and soulful verses in a register where that  shouldn’t be possible. The only accompaniment is Rastegar’s bass and Goldings x2 on  piano and organ, showcasing his complete mastery of the blues in a multitude of  ways.  

-Gary Fukushima  

Los Angeles, July 2022  many others

Dorian & Nayanna Holley

DNA

01 “I Can’t Find My Way Home” (Winwood)

02 “People Get Ready” (Mayfield)

03 “People Make The World Go Round” (Bell, Creed)

04 “Don’t Give Up” (Gabriel)

05 “Blackbird” (Lennon-McCartney)

06 “Drive” (Ocasek)

07 “Somewhere (There’s A Place For Us)” (Bernstein, Sondheim)

08 “Inner City Blues” (Gaye, Nyx)

09 “Harvest For The World” (Isley, Jasper)

10 “New Day” (Womack, Womack)

11 “Grandma’s Hands” (Withers)

12 “Joy Inside My Tears” (Wonder”

Recorded June of 2021 at Lucy’s Meat Market, Eagle Rock, CA

Recorded, Mixed, Mastered by Pete Min

Produced by Kaveh Rastegar

Songs Arranged by Dorian Holley, Nayanna Holley and Kaveh Rastegar

Dorian Holley: Vocals

Nayanna Holley: Vocals

Kaveh Rastegar: Fender Precision Bass, Upright Bass, Acoustic Guitar on “Harvest For The

World”

Larry Goldings: Piano, Organ, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Synths

Chris Bruce: Electric and Acoustic Guitars

Abe Rounds: Drums, Percussion