HOLLY COLE

If there’s anything that remains consistent from album to album with Cole–who has sold over a million units worldwide–it has been her desire to explore the entire spectrum of human emotions. Her approach, this time, was to perform songs dealing with an aspect of life all people experience but rarely talk about: self-deception. “I started looking at songs that loosely deal with the concept of self-deception or denial,” says Cole. “I find that I gravitate towards this subject in songs very naturally. I think it’s because of my love of subtext. What’s implied is always more intriguing than what’s being literally stated. And it lets people go to the place that is the most emotionally compelling for them.”

What many people like about Cole is that she’s her own person musically. We know she has influences because she has talked about them. But when she sings that’s not what you get. Holly sings a song with incredible personal sincerity. From her intonation to her phrasing, her sense of dynamics, her sense of holding onto a line, and her sense of surprise. Her singing has all of the things we associate with great jazz soloists and instrumentalists Holly is one of the great singers we have today.”