While the band passes the torch, the spotlight remains on Ramona Martinez, frontwoman of Ramona & the Holy Smokes – holy smokes indeed! With a voice as big as life and a sound recalling genre crossover icons like Linda Ronstadt, she delivers ten originals that deserve to shine under the night stage lights and the falling gold glitter of the 1970s.
Their self-titled debut blends present day honky-tonk, vintage barroom country, and a unique Mexi-tonk hybrid rooted in Martinez’s Mexican-American heritage. Recorded at Spacebomb Studios with producer Kai Crowe-Getty and guitarist Kyle Kilduff, the album leans on pedal steel, fiddle, piano, accordion, and strings, yet every arrangement revolves around Martinez’s vocals.
The record explores heartbreak, struggle, and longing, balancing humor with defiance. Saucy opener “Gonna Be Mine” skews satirical, while “Drunk After Work” brings outlaw energy. The bilingual “Esta Herida” fuses Norteño drama with honky-tonk storytelling – truly embodying Ronstadt’s presence. Drawing on the Mexican-American heritage of Martinez, recognized by Wide Open Country as one of the “15 Latino Artists Shaping Country
Music,” Ramona and the Holy Smokes are simultaneously rooted in the traditional sounds of country music but unafraid of pushing boundaries and highlighting the connections across border cultures.
Formed in 2022, the band – Kyle Kilduff, Brooks Hefner, Jay Ouypron, and Porter Bralley – have shared stages with Margo Cilker, Joshua Hedley, and Redd Volkaert.
“…country music, done right, is sincere. And I think everyone can connect with music that’s sincere,” says Martinez – this debut effort is a honky-tonker that basks in vintage sound and modern twists, fearless in scope, and is wholly sincere.
– @meanwhile_in_music
