“Every time that I go back to the Midwest to visit family I pick up things that I cannot put into words. It is those feelings, and that kind of awareness, that I wanted to put into something real. I think that the song, “Leaving Kansas,” encapsulates that more than anything. It (the CD) resonates of the American heartland. I knew that I wanted strings, I knew that I wanted harmonica, and I knew that I wanted an upright bass. I wanted an organic, live sound that needed to be fresh, and it needed to be honest, present and real. My first two albums were wonderfully produced, but I still sounded distant. I sounded a little lost in the mix of the guitars and all the other stuff,” says Long as she discusses the inspiration behind her CD Leaving Kansas.

 Jim Brice’s violin and Holly Long’s gentle piano keys introduce us to the first track of Long’s new CD Leaving Kansas, a collection of songs that are filled with earthy word pictures that are brush stroked on the canvass of the American heartland.  Long, who was born in Lawrence Kansas, while her parents were attending university, grew up just outside of Chicago, but her family is deeply rooted in the state.

In what surely ranks as one of the most soulful and well-produced vocal tracks this year, the song “Simply,” resonates with both the grit and passion of life. “Simply,” and “Sunday Redemption,” are my foray into a musical area where I never allowed myself to go (before). I have always been moved by gospel music. I have been to gospel churches and seen the energy and the joy,” says Long.

Continuing to talk about “Simply,” and “Sunday Redemption,” Long says, “When I allowed myself to sing a little differently and open up my soul more, I discovered that I had a little bit more in there. I think that the reason those two songs sound so joyful is I had a cork in there for so long. I am finally able to let it hang a little bit. On stage, I do some cover songs that are more rock like, and I am able to just let go with this crazy vocal maneuvering. Now I have another tool in my toolbox, and I want to hone it and make it better. One of the songs that I sing live is a Billy Preston tune, “That’s The Way God Planned It.” It is a hardcore, big piano gospel song. It is a fun and joyful song that feels really good.”

Long believes that the album Leaving Kansas is her most personal and vulnerable recording to date. “Songs like “Homeward Bound,” “Leaving Kansas,” “Brokedown,” “Softer Now,” “He and I,” “Trust Me,” are songs from way, way down. “He And I,” tries to encapsulate the feelings of connection with my son. It has melancholy in it, but it doesn’t really have sadness or grief. There are also songs like, “Bones,” which is about me trying to grapple with the truth of our existence, about death, what is eternal and what is not. Some of the songs were harder to write. They (represent) different pieces of my vulnerability. The record as a whole feels more vulnerable. This is what I have wanted to do as a writer. I felt this was where I needed to go. I am thirty-seven, so it is no longer about one love song after another. I am someone who is a parent, and who has had a brush with death. I have (experienced) grief, loss and pain. I felt like I owed it to myself, and to anyone who would listen to me, to write about what I am actually experiencing and what I am going through. Writing another pop song or a love song has its merit, but it would be frustrating for me to just sit on that level alone. I just wanted to keep going deeper.”

Leaving Kansas also represents a maturing in the overall sound of Holly Long’s music and songwriting. “My first record was really me trying to figure out how to make a record. It sounded pretty good, considering I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I can look back now and say, I should have written that one a little differently, edited it differently or cut that one. Interestingly enough, the sound of the first record was pretty cohesive. The second record was even more of a mish mash, as I explored different areas of my writing. My producer was really great. He tried to create an umbrella that incorporated all of those songs. The songs all sounded good together, but I (still) felt it was me mucking around, trying to figure out what my sound was. Leaving Kansas is the first record that I have made, which I think sounds much more cohesive,” she says.

Eight years ago Long picked up a guitar and began learning the instrument. Previously all of her material had been written from the perspective of a pianist. She felt the need to explore different sounds, chord progressions, octaves and rhythms. The songwriter felt that she was stagnating, and learning to write from the perspective of a guitarist provided new inspiration.