Reviews for Hold the Line

No. 3 Album, No. 5 Artist for January 2021 - FAI Folk DJ Chart

“insightful folk-pop songs” — Peter Blackstock, Austin American-Statesman

“a tantalizing collection of poetic lyrics framed by a crisp and ambient production.” — Adeem Bingham, Buried Treasure

“as strong as Davidson and Phillips are on their own, the songs on Hold the Line really take flight when their harmonies kick in” — Rachel Cholst, Country Queer and Adobe and Teardrops

“Taking their name from a process to toughen steel to prevent it from wearing down, it brings a combination of hardness, strength and toughness, The duo have all that, but they have a tenderness too.” — Folk Radio UK

“There’s a beautiful delicacy to the sound of Austin folk duo Hardened and Tempered. They walk every Folk avenue with soft footsteps, from straight ahead storytelling to quiet self-reflection. Their latest release, Hold the Line, is layered with lush harmonies where hidden twang-drops of pedal steel peek out amongst personal and poetic stories told in vivid detail.” — The Alternate Root Magazine 

“[the] album is filled to the brim with lots of great songs” — Ghost of Blind Lemon

Reviews for The Trailer Sessions:

"Phillips and Davidson balance each other perfectly in their harmonies and playing." -- No Depression

"Hardened and Tempered infuse their characters with hard-won dignity and a pride born in beating the odds as they push against the grain" -- The Alternate Root Magazine

“A duo that I’ve just really fallen in love with. I think everything on this CD I would feel comfortable playing here on The Back Porch.” -- Norm Mast, co-host of The Back Porch on WVPE

"11 neatly wrapped songs driven by slick harmonies, impressive fingerpicking, and lovelorn tales" -- The Austin Chronicle