Holly Golightly - Truly She is None Other
(Damaged Goods)
The extremely prolific Golightly is just as brilliant on her eleventh solo album as she was on her first, a mere eight years ago. The former Headcoatee and Billy Childish protégé immediately grabs your attention with the opening sultry Sinatra (as in Nancy) swagger of "Walk A Mile" and doesn't let go until the baker's dozen tunes end with, er, "There's An End." The plucky, syncopated twang of "All Around the Houses" is just one of the many treats awaiting listeners of this gnarly, Girls in the Garage-style collection of 60s babes with boppin' beats and a bitchin' backing band, led by Holly herself on guitar.
"Without You Here" is just one of several tracks boasting a tasty guitar solo and the mournful, suicide-note pleas of "One Neck" remind me of the tearjerkers Leslie Gore used to sing back in the day. One could say the vibe throughout is one of "Gore Goes Garage," not surprising considering Holly's Headcoatees' upbringing. "Black Night" is a successful attempt to vary the attack with an old blues cover, coming on like a sexy, Maria Muldaur at the oasis over a gently-picked, rolling acoustic backing lifted straight off an old Donovan song (perhaps "Sunny South Kensington"?). And get a load of the inspired Hope Sandoval impersonation on "Sent"! If Dave Roback, this country's greatest guitar asset is of a mind to start another band, here's the perfect foil to build it around.
The only downside is that Holly's limited vocal range keeps all the songs in the same monotonic delivery style, which gets a little dry by album's end, but this is a minor quibble and, therefore, Holly Golightly is highly recommended.
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