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by Tim Cashmere Think Norah Jones mixed with a little Rickie Lee Jones with an added dose of Tom Waits and the interesting concoction starts to add up to one Jolie Holland. It's easy to draw the Norah comparisons. I'm sure every new female jazz record gets the line but Jolie is a much rawer, original artist. The Norah thing will work in her favour simply because she has raised the awareness of the female jazz singer and it will make people interested enough to listen to others (just as Jolie). By what she sounds like on 'Escondida' a smoky barroom would be the perfect listening room. The country blues of 'Goodbye California' aligns her as a modern day Janis Joplin although she starts the album off on a seductive jazz note with "Sascha'. On 'Black Stars' she creates a dreamy musical canvas and 'Old Fashioned Morphine' would be a great song for Tom Waits to cover. (He is already a fan). There are no rules on 'Escondida' which is what makes it is so compelling. 'Mad Tom of Bedlam' is a jazzy jam and the quaint ditty 'Darlin Ukelele' is just one of those musical punctuations that sidetracks the flow of the record off into a cosy corner for a four minute R&R. 'Lil Missy' departs even further. Dare I call it Gospel? The final moment comes from 'Faded Coat of Blue' with that familiar trumpet of 'The Last Post' as an intro and the tradition arrangement to finalise the album. If you started out liking Norah but and crave the feel minus the commercial edge, try Jolie. You will be pleasantly surprised. Tracklisting: 1
Sascha |
Jolie Holland : Escondida