Hollie Cook’s self-titled debut album was without doubt my most listened to album of 2011. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve listened to it and I’m still nowhere near bored of it.
The album never tries to be big, clever or ground-breaking. Instead it’s nine tracks of the most perfect poppy dub and reggae, many of which have a slightly dreamy and trippy quality to them. Hollie’s vocals are fantastic, and Prince Fatty‘s production is sublime. To cap it all the album also has the involvement of Dennis Bovell and George Dekker, so it was bound to be great from the start.
I’ve played this album to a shit load of different people and not one person has disliked it. In fact, I think it might be physically impossible to dislike this album. People who claim to not like reggae like it, people who claim to not like pop like it, music snobs like it and those who say they don’t really like music like it.
I’m no music journalist so rather than attempt (and fail) at a proper review I’ll leave it to the pros at Soundlab, and will post a few songs below.
Go and buy it, wait for the sunshine, pour yourself a big rum and ginger and bask in Hollie’s glorious tropical pop.
Milk & Honey indeed…
The album is packed with covers, including a great version of the Shangri-La‘s Walking In The Sand. This is a cover of Rachel Sweet‘s It’s So Different Here…
This is the album’s last song, and in proper reggae style has some good old fashioned toasting from Horseman. God know’s what he’s saying though…
