Holly Golightly
's
Truly She Is None Other
is another fine slice of low-key bluesy
garage pop
from the former
Headcoatee
and current
White Stripes
crony. Unlike that band, however,
Golightly
doesn't have much truck for noise and clatter; she is more apt to use honey and guile to capture her listeners. Tracks like
"One Neck,"
"Walk a Mile,"
and
"All Around the Houses"
are downright slinky with her double-tracked, deadpan voice; the
lo-fi
, high-quality production (courtesy of
Liam Watson
); and resolutely mid-tempo approach. Her songs are perfect for late nights full of melancholy and restraint. Even songs like
"You Have Yet to Win"
"She Said,"
which might be considered examples of the dreaded "rocking out," are rocked out in fine, reserved style, never breaking a sweat -- merely a heart or two. Most of the tunes (bar the previously mentioned
"Fox"
song) are
originals, but the album also has a foray into
acoustic blues
with a convincing cover of
Charles Brown
's harrowing
"Black Night"
as well as covers of two little-known
Kinks
tracks: the rollicking
"Time Will Tell"
and the minor-key weeper
"Tell Me Now So I Know,"
which are almost note-perfect (the vocal on the latter is one of her best ever).
is also one of
's best albums; packed with great songs and performances, it re-establishes
as a beacon of grace and restraint in a world sadly bereft of both. ~ Tim Sendra