Ones We Never Knew

Holly Williams | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal South
• ASIN: B0002ZYE8M
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,403 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

NY Times, September 12, 2004

No rebel country-rock, no metal flirtations...her first album, presents slightly self-possessed songs about loss and breakups, folk-rock honesty...

..more akin to neo-folkie Shawn Colvin...but she shares the family legacy of pain and,as her beautiful album suggests,pure genius.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreamy and emotional; a little ballad-heavy., December 19, 2004

By 

D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ones We Never Knew (Audio CD)

Holly Williams has a very mature vocal style which is very appealing. Hers is a voice that endures, rich and worldly, and she writes some good songs to serve her instrument, songs of longing, self-awareness and understated melancholy.

This record is a little like Sarah Harmer's All of Our Names in that it's comprised almost entirely of ballads, dreamy sounds and very light-fingered backbeats. Nothing wrong with that; just don't put on this record expecting Gretchen Wilson. I do wish Williams might have varied her tempos a bit; the closest she comes is the speedy fingerpicked acoustic guitar of "All as It Should Be". But as far as country-flavoured folk ballads go, this is fine material, with the dramatic, gorgeously sung "Man in the Making", the ethereal, heartbreaking lullaby "Nothing More" and the weary piano-driven pledge "Everybody's Waiting for a Change" being highlights.

This is one of those intimate records that sound like you're in the club (or bedroom, or the subway station) with the singer, who's playing with just a guitar, letting the composition and her voice speak for themselves. It's more soothing and thoughtful than exciting, but the very sparseness of this record may be its chief strength. Holly Williams doesn't pretend to be something she's not, and for that she deserves full respect. A great record that's like a direct line into a heartbreak, subtle and moving.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Stuff On Pain, Loss, and Love, February 4, 2005

By 

chilke "chilke" (Troy, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ones We Never Knew (Audio CD)

I see some brainy and analytical people have found things to pick at. Some of those anal(ytical) types have lost a lot of heart and soul. If I had too much time on my hands, I could pick like the wannabe reviewers, too. Nah. It is true that this cd lacks genre exercises, which usually tend to annoy me as I settle into the mood of a record. This record plays extremely well as a whole and one need not worry about a "trainwreck" genre exercise popping up. The very best records ever made have usually been thematic. That is why many greatest hits packages can't compare to great records taken as a whole. This record is sequenced to mostly alternate between softer(but not softer emotionally) ballads, and ballads with incredibly powerful choruses. Some of my favorite songs use the quiet-loud dynamics. A good example is the second track, Everybody's Waiting for a Change, which I see is getting some play on streaming audio. I believe that the lazy Melissa comparison diminishes the honest hard-hitting emotional power of Holly's voice. Not to mention Etheridge is a heartland rocker type a la Mellencamp. These heart-wrenching songs have a fresh and vibrant strength and are far from being numerous rewrites of a single hit song. I can live with the Shawn Colvin comparison, but Holly has a lot more power. The Chapin comparison is better. Most of these songs have prominent piano. Can't one of these wordy hacks at least compare Holly to Tori Amos, at least instrumentation-wise? I believe I heard a trumpet on one track and some strings on another. True, it is unfortunate that Holly is on a country label. I guess the quality of this recording will be our little secret. I can live with any Chapin comparisons, although Mary Chapin Carpenter uses far more country flourishes. I believe I detected a single song with pedal steel guitar on Ones We Never Knew. Time will tell if Holly can produce a catalog as tremendous as Chapin's, or as varied and complex as Tori's, but Holly's debut record is better than Chapin's debut record. This is sophisticated pop/rock with a little folky feel here and there. A strong debut and a strong record, period.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hank Jrs Daughter follows her fathers footsteps, October 29, 2004

By 

suthernbuck82 (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ones We Never Knew (Audio CD)

What can I say? I purchased a copy of 23 year old singer/songwriter Holly Williams CD "The Ones We Never Knew" just recently and I have to tell you that I thought it was an incredible listening experience. It is an album of pure folk/pop similar to Bob Dylan and Jewel, however Holly Williams deals with the everyday issues of love and relationships "Take Me Down", "I`d Only Break Your Heart", regret and loss "Sometimes", "Would You Still Have Fallen?" and even god "Between The Lines". Holly has a certain passion in her voice that cannot fail to touch you and her ear for melody is shining brightly throughout, be it with a guitar, piano or a full band. The only flaw I do have is that "The Ones" is rather ballad heavy and can on occassion get a little tedious. All in all a great debut, Her granddfather Hank would`ve been proud