Album Review: Hollie Cook – Twice
2 min read
Renowned reggae artist Hollie Cook has it all going for her; she released her acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2011 and she is no stranger to music royalty (her father is Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and her godfather is Boy George), but there is no denial her talent is her own. To prove she has a fan base who shares her vision, she crowd funded her latest album Twice via PledgeMusic; success stories from crowd funding platforms include Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke (PledgeMusic) and Amanda Palmer from the US (Kickstarter). Twice is the follow-up LP to her beloved debut, will she and recurring producer Prince Fatty be able to bless some ears a second time around?
Opening track Ari Up is introduced by blissful vocal harmonies, followed by the classic reggae sound Hollie is known for; the track simply flows and every instrumental layer is key to the atmosphere. 99 starts off with the sensual rolling of waves before taking us on a journey to the Caribbean, we feel as if we should be happily dancing but the lyrical content tells us this is a break up song; following track Desdemona has a similar ring to it, which transitions into the slightly darker sounding Tiger Balm.
The night is powerful in ‘wake up’ song Postman, featuring the edgy strings contributed by the Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra. The heartbreak and loss of love concept continues in Looking For Real Love, the track seems it would be well suited to being played on the Pay TV menu; the high end of Hollie’s vocal range proves desirable in Superfast. Title track Twice has a definite funk/reggae influence, with the deep twang of the bass and the all too familiar reggae beat and atmosphere. The album closes on Win Or Lose, which is almost like being lost in a dreamscape.
Hollie Cook still obviously demonstrates her passion for reggae; Twice is the reflection of a typical reggae album, it literally regurgitates it. Hollie’s voice is well suited for this genre, and it was lovely listening to the instrumentation in each track and the amount of love that flows track-to-track, but the album is easy to be distracted from. Most of the songs share a similar theme, which is all very well, but the sound of the album really didn’t transition and take itself on a journey. Besides becoming a little tiresome, reggae and Hollie Cook fans should be pleased with the release of Twice, let your ears and body language be the judge when it comes to listening to reggae music.
