Hitting the commercial country field towards the tail end of a particularly dismal decade, Texan-born Holly Dunn (1957-2016) was, in stylistic terms, something of a breath of fresh air. Her production sounded glossy, but the musical core was fairly traditional. The thing is, though, I can't say I really cared much for her voice. It's not icky or fake-soul or anything like that; it just doesn't do much for me. And, well, if I'm really honest with myself, I have to admit that her approach is too poppy for me - I can't really connect emotionally to the material, even though I appreciate her relatively rootsy vibe. Still, here for your consideration is a major female star of late-'80s "young country" era, a gal who wrote a lot of her own material and helped produce her own albums...
Holly Dunn "Milestones: Greatest Hits" (Warner Brothers, 1991)
This is her standard-issue best-of, a skimpy 11-track collection which starts in 1985 when she was on the independent MTM label, and ends with her work on Warner in 1990, when she had her last #1 hit, "You Really Had Me Going." Then she just kinda dropped off the map... anyone know what happened?
Holly Dunn "Greatest Hits" (Goldenlane Records, 2008)
Holly Dunn "Holly Dunn" (MTM Records, 1986)
Holly Dunn "Cornerstone" (MTM Records, 1987)
Holly Dunn "Across The Rio Grande" (MTM Records, 1988)
Holly Dunn "The Blue Rose Of Texas" (Warner Brothers, 1989)
Holly Dunn "Heart Full Of Love" (Warner Brothers, 1990)
Holly Dunn "Getting It Dunn" (Warner Brothers, 1992)
Holly Dunn "Life And Love And All The Stages" (A&M Records, 1995)
Holly Dunn "Leave One Bridge Standing" (Platinum Entertainment, 1997)
Holly Dunn "Full Circle" (Holly Dunn Enterprises, 2003)
A self-released gospel album, made available through Dunn's website at www.hollydunn.com This was her final album: sadly, Holly Dunn passed away following a struggle with ovarian cancer. Her New York Times obituary ran on November 16, 2016.
