Thank you Mr. Boy George for calling my attention to the hugely talented Hollie Cook.
You see, Hollie is Boy George‘s goddaughter, and is also the daughter of Sex Pistol’s drummer Paul Cook. Boy posted about Hollie on his Twitter account, so randomly I took a listen. As a HUGE fan of reggae and dub music, I was immediately hooked. A fresh, new twist on an old school sound, and just in time for summer.
Hollie Cook calls her unique sound, “Tropical Pop,” and when listening to it, it’s not hard to imagine yourself slumped under a palm tree while drinking coconut rum cocktail.
From Hollie’s official website:
Entering professional acting, singing and modelling at a young age; Hollie soon rejected her performance arts schooling for a musical path truer to her influences. Family friend and Slits singer Ari Up persuaded Hollie to sing backing vocals for a new EP ‘Revenge of the Killer Slits’, which she followed by ditching school to join the band on a six week tour. Hollie was now an official Slit – Ari referred to Hollie as the ‘Second Singer’ – so when it came to record a new Slits album in LA, Hollie’s vocals, keyboards and even her song ‘Cry’ all featured.
Since then, Hollie’s career has taken off and we have been blessed with her self-titled debut album on Mr. Bongo records. The album just dropped yesterday, and is available for purchase on iTunes. The first two tracks are available for your listening pleasure here. “Milk & Honey” (above) and “That Very Night” (below).
