Holly Golightly - Truly She Is None Other (Expanded Edition) (2003/2011)

Holly Golightly's Truly She Is None Other is another fine slice of low-key bluesy garage pop from the former Headcoatee and current White Stripes crony. Unlike that band, however, Golightly doesn't have much truck for noise and clatter; she is more apt to use honey and guile to capture her listeners. Tracks like "One Neck," "Walk a Mile," and "All Around the Houses" are downright slinky with her double-tracked, deadpan voice; the lo-fi, high-quality production (courtesy of Liam Watson); and resolutely mid-tempo approach. Her songs are perfect for late nights full of melancholy and restraint. Even songs like "You Have Yet to Win" and "She Said," which might be considered examples of the dreaded "rocking out," are rocked out in fine, reserved style, never breaking a sweat merely a heart or two. Most of the tunes (bar the previously mentioned "Fox" song) are Golightly originals, but the album also has a foray into acoustic blues with a convincing cover of Charles Brown's harrowing "Black Night" as well as covers of two little-known Kinks tracks: the rollicking "Time Will Tell" and the minor-key weeper "Tell Me Now So I Know," which are almost note-perfect (the vocal on the latter is one of her best ever). Truly She Is None Other is also one of Golightly's best albums; packed with great songs and performances, it re-establishes Golightly as a beacon of grace and restraint in a world sadly bereft of both.