(Monsoon)

www.holiman.biz/chrisholimanmusic

Longtime Arizona music watchers know Chris Holiman's name. He's been a mainstay of the regional scene since the mid ‘80s, in particular notching fame as vocalist and songwriter for Tucson's River Roses, one of the leading lights during the ‘80s/'90s desert rock explosion that also saw the likes of the Sidewinders, Naked Prey and Giant Sand come to prominence. Since then he's kept active fronting first 35 Summers and then the Downtown Saints, and now he's released The Sailor's Daughter, his second album under his own name, corralling a who's-who of Tucson talent - among them, former bandmate Gene Ruley on electric guitar, Tom Larkins (Jonathan Richman) on drums, Calexico's Joey Burns on bass and cello, and producer Nick Luca on keyboards - to assist him across 12 deftly-wrought folk- and pop-rock gems.

What's interesting about Holiman is how remarkably consistent he's been, musically speaking, over the years regardless of the setting: his gently keening vocals have always been a signature, and he's always relied on the twinned stringed power of acoustic guitar strums with electric guitar painting around the edges, effectively making his songs instantly identifiable. But whether you're a veteran Holiman fan or a newcomer to his music, there's plenty here to wrap your ears around, from the spare, nocturnal, cello-powered vibe of opening track "Ride Through Sky" and the wide-open-spaces ambiance of "Dark Night Tonight" (which, with its searing flecks of lead guitar, is so quintessentially "desert rock" you'd swear it was 1989 all over again), through the sleek Americana of the title track (featuring pedal steel ace Neil Harry) and the upbeat, Wilcoesque "Swan Song." And trainspotters, just for good measure there's also a boozy, ripe-for-singalongs cover of James Taylor's "Bartender Blues" that finds Holiman singing in a tone that's dead ringer for Gram Parsons.

All in all, one of the year's more delightful, under-the-radar treats. You gentle readers, can rectify that "under-the-radar" component, of course... tell the good Mr. Holiman we sent ya.

DOWNLOAD: "Dark Night Tonight," "Christmas Lights," "Swan Song" FRED MILLS