Johnston, Holly - East Anglian Girl

According to the press release it has been nine years since Holy’s debut album and single, and just can’t imagine why it has taken so long if the debut is anything like this. Mind you, the other burning question has to be why on earth I didn’t get to hear the first one all those years ago as this is a sheer delight from start to finish. It took me a long time to work out who she reminded me of, but in the end I realized that I was having the same reaction to this as I was the first time I came across Eva Cassidy, yes her voice is that good. The album straddles folk and acoustic music quite happily, and she has chosen her musical colleagues well as they do just enough to provide a good accompaniment without ever overpowering the wistful whimsy of her voice. Holly switches between acoustic guitar and piano, and there is a pop mentality in what she is doing, so I can see her crossing over into a wider audience of people who enjoy Judie Tzuke and Lucy Silvas. But, there are also those folk purists who are going to get a great deal from this album, as she knows exactly how to make simplicity seem multi-faceted and layered. A beautiful album in so many ways – let’s hope she doesn’t take another 9 years to make the next one.