Customer Reviews

Best Of Holly Cole, The

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I picked up this CD by chance, and still can't believe my luck. Cole is a smooth crooner with an unusual twist: she tries far more interesting material than the average vocalist. Her voice is a bit like her fellow Canadian, Diana Krall, but much richer, more versatile, and resonant. She also has a great sense of rhythm and a remarkable ability to express the meaning and message of a song, even something as seemingly forthright as the Beatle's "I've Just Seen a Face." Unlike Krall, Cole doesn't accompany herself on piano, but she has the perfect partner in Aaron Davis's sensitive playing.

It takes a bold young woman to make a Beatle's song so completely hers, and the other choices on this Best Of album are equally quirky, which makes me want to seek out her other recordings. There's a trio of Tom Waits' songs, several standards, a Lyle Lovett cover--and yes, the "I Can See Clearly Now" is her take on the song Jimmy Cliff made famous, and it's dynamite. The most astonishing to me, though, is her rendition of Elvis Costello's passionate "Alison"--her varied, nuanced delivery makes Costello's sound like a nursery rhyme in comparison. I can't wait to learn and hear more about this terrific singer!

Canada has produced many great female singers (Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Terri Clark and Shania Twain to name a few) but Holly Cole (from Nova Scotia, like Anne Murray) while completely different from any of them, is outstanding in her own way. Holly's first love is jazz, but she has absorbed musical influences from many different genres. This shows in her music, which is jazz-based, but with everything else added into the mix.

Holly specialises in cover versions, but always takes the songs apart and rearranges them in such a way as to sound original. I've heard plenty of rearranged covers by many different singers, but it is rare to find somebody who does it with such consistency. Listen to her version of I've just seen a face (the Beatles song) or I can see clearly now (the Johnny Nash song, which has been covered by lots of people, but never quite like Holly's version).

This is my first Holly CD, but certainly not my last. I now regard her recent Christmas collection (Baby it's cold outside) as essential. I'm intrigued to hear what Holly can do with songs which, brilliant though they are, desperately need something different done to them.

A brilliant woman, with a fabulous ensemble. Great songs that she totally makes her own, fresh, better than the original. She has the smokey, soulful voice you can just fall into. I've seen a lot of performers... but my one regret is that I've never seen Holly perform live. I, of course, have ALL of her CDs. Personal favs are: Don't Smoke In Bed and Blame It On My Youth... but you can take her for a test drive with this great collection of her best.

I'll preface this review with a simple warning....which is that whatever adjectives I may use in describing this amazing disc from this even more incredible artist it simply will not do it justice. I'm not someone who is generally good at expressing himself with the written (typed!) word but this is an artist that I believe in so much that I need to simply need to 'cast my fates to the winds'and jump in with both "hands" (so to speak)! That being said.... let the accolades begin!

For starters I won't even attempt to catagorize this sensational singer (accolade # 1). How to pigeonhole a singer who tackles such a diffrent array of styles from such amazing songwriters such as Tom Waits (who I think is a genius), Elvis Costello and the Beatles. To say nothing of covering standards, such as "Blame It On My Youth". Ms. Cole's taste in selecting tunes is eclectic, imaginative and overall very creative. Even if she couldn't sing a note (which she can, like a DREAM, I might add) I would respect her as an artist equally as well. I find her selections to be quirky, left of center and coming from someone who isn't afraid to take her fans along with her when discovering new, exciting songwriters. I'm not sure what more you could ask for.

But, fortunately for us, there's so much more! Ms. Cole has an astonishingly clear voice, a wonderful way of turning a phrase and an equally comfortable way of conveying, in each song, a sort of worldweariness that I simply adore in any artist. Plus, the arrangments are well conceived and economical. I did want to give special attention to her version of "Alison", an Elvis Costello song that she does especially well. And that part about "....leaving your fingers in the Wedding Cake." I love it! And (just one more) she does an exceptional cover of "Cry (If You Want To)....in which case I almost did! She truly is absolutely fearless when it comes to her craft and the way she inhabits the unusual characters who are portayed in these songs. As if you couldn't tell she, in my book, has few peers. I enjoy 'standards' as much as the next listener but Holly Cole is so much more than that....thank goodness!

In the end what's not to like? Holly Cole appeals to me as an artist (there's that word..again!) who seems unafraid of being a true individual in a field where it's simply too easy to get lost in the crowd. Quirky, different, out in left field....say what you like. To my unusual way of thinking she's simply deliciously free-spirited! So what are you waiting for?

First, I must disagree with the prior reviewer who was "disappointed" and thought Holly Cole produced "muzak". To the contrary. No true jazz fan could be so mistaken. If you listen to the female jazz vocalists through jazz's brief 20th century history, you will find that Holly Cole is among the greats. Her singing abilities are top notch, but what sets her apart are her arrangements. Listen to all the Holly Cole you can, on this cd and others. You'll be hard pressed to find a female jazz vocalist who is as innovative and wonderfully entertaining as she is. I don't have much time or I could go on with song suggestions, but let me just say that her versions of two songs which unfortunately don't appear on this Best of package - "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "If We Make it Through December" (a Merle Haggard track of all things!) - are definitive versions of both. On this album, "Don't Let The Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart" is a tremedous ballad and "I Can See Clearly Now" is a terrific, inventive and distincitve version of a song which is hard to distinguish oneself on. No music fan should go through life without the opportunity of listening to this wonderful artist.

I'm just a humble music lover who appreciates good music, not an amature critic or writer. In my opinion, there are four components to a good recording that I look for: (1)how well the artist performs, (2)the arrangement and accompanyment of the song, (3) the engineering and mastering of the recording, (4) and the song itself.

Holly has a strong, clear, and accurate voice. It is smooth and crisp, and lacks any edgyness. Her execution and delivery are wonderful. Her second track, Calling You is haunting and really reflects the power and perfection of this artist as well as the wonderful accompanyment.

The arrangements and accompanyment are well done on all the tracks, strong and complementary. Aaron Davis is wonderful on the piano. His contributions are very noticable but not distracting; same for David Piltch on the base.

The selections of songs for this CD sugggests deliberation in the selection. Well chosen. They fit together quite nicely and are evocative. Your ears will ask for a large serving.

The mastering and engineering of this CD are excellent. The music is well-defined and distinctive, not washed out or slurred. Background noise is nonexistant.

This was my first Holly Cole album. I loved it (other reviews really helped). It was crafted with great care and the listener will notice the superior aspects of the album. I think that anyone into this genre of music will notice the superior quality of this CD. And quite naturally, I'm going to acquire other recordings by this artist.

This disk was reccomended by a contributor on an audiophile forum.
The recording quality is great. The voice is sweeet, but not distinctive. Don't get me wrong, she is fantastic, but not a sound that sets her apart.
That said, I love the songs she sings! Not just the standards or "So what" songs. Tunes that are fun to hear as well as some meaningful stuff too! I'll buy more of her.

I bought it based on a recommendation from a friend and was expecting a modern day Nina Simone or the like. Sorely dissapointed. She has a good voice but not that much personality. The arrangements border on elevator muzak grade. Her pale interpretation of classic tunes is also tame, uninspired. The Tom Waits covers in particular lack almost everything that made the originals so gritty & great. Not recommended.