Hollie Haines – Letters to my Last Love
Hollie Haines - Letters to my Last Love
Release Date: 23rd November 2018
When I was a teenager, my school
forced me to do an after-school activity with a choice between first-aid,
citizenship and typing – I chose typing for the girls and the not having to do
CPR on plastic dolls. Handily, I learned to touch type which has proved
particularly useful when reviewing this album by the imperious Hollie Haines as
her music is best enjoyed with your head reclined and eyes closed.
The album gets underway with ‘Except
For You’ and this is the point to start your gentle descent in to relaxation
and bliss. Soothing strings and deftly plucked guitar notes roll in like the
evening light as you draw the curtains and Haines’ sweet, pure voice wafts in
on the cool air to fill your weary lungs. The low bass notes bring warmth and
the folky overtones are pitched in the Wildwood Kin meets Sound of the Sirens
area. ‘Like I Used To’ features a wistful violin line that slithers and slides
but a more direct vocal performance that has a Kate Rusby quality to it while
the instrumentation is more in the Harbottle & Jonas vein.
‘All You Did’ continues on the
celtic folk path with a steady, thudding beat urging the guitar and violin forward
while Haines sprinkles golden droplets of her voice across the melodious
landscape. Taking to the piano, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ switches in to a
soulful lament of Beverly Craven proportions while ‘I Got Through, Babe’
ripples and bubbles in to life like a Spring morning emerging from the night with
new hope, optimism and potential.
The most mainstream track on the
album is perhaps ‘Better’, featuring an electric guitar melody and the kind of
upbeat strum you’d expect from KT Tunstall or Paolo Nutini – not to machine some
gorgeous lap steel work. Closing out with ‘Mine’, Haines returns to the
soothing theme with Cello and guitar intertwining like expressive dancers wrapped
around one another. Hollie Haines proves with this album that true artistry
comes with time and care rather than dance moves or dry humping the furniture.
This is sublime stuff and, once I’ve deleted all the typos from this review, I’ll
be glad to share it with you.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/holliehainessongs/