Search - Holly Cole :: Blame It on My Youth

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

Paul Higgins | st. louis, mo USA | 11/08/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Have to agree with other negative reviews. Winced visibly upon listening. Attempts to "get it" by engaging in repeated listenings just brought further punishment-- even copping my most "avant-garde" attitude, I could not hear anything compelling on this disc. It was a mistake buying this disc that I will...Blame on My Youth...For an antidote, go buy Jane Monheit's disc with this title track on it."

The beginnings of holly

A. E. Pagano | Albany, NY | 08/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Holly's 1st major label release and while it has it's drawbacks, you have to give her an "A" for effort and imagination. First she has a great ear for wonderful songs and writers. Lyle Lovett, Tom Waits, Charlie Chaplin.. need I say more. Her approach on this record is more of an eccentric cabaret singer than jazz, but she and her accompanying duo swing on "I Were a Bell". As she has artistically matured, she has gradually abandoned most of the quirky vocal stylings she exhibits on this release, yet you gotta love her adventurous nature. The arrangements are really cool ( "Trust in Me" and Chaplin's "Smile" come to mind) with the exception of her disasterous rendition of Lerner & Loewe's " On the Street Where you Live", where she drops the ball by approaching it as a stalker's lament. The song is too classic and beautiful to be f..ked with. With each effort she has grown and her most recent release is a real gem."