HOLLY JOHNSON
‘Hollelujah’
MCA
Here’s a tester for you. When is a new album not a new album? When it’s called ‘Hollelujah’. It should strictly be called ‘Blast —
Frankie Knuckles has been let loose on ‘Love Train’ while ‘Atomic City’ and ‘Heaven’s Here’ were entrusted to Julian Mendelsohn. The latter is the only version that benefits from its overhaul, but maybe that’s because it’s just longer. Martin Phillips and Madame X toy with ‘Perfume’ while Phil Harding and Ian Curnow end up with ‘Americanos’.
With these illustrious names and such great material to work with the result is disappointing. Most of the songs having the life mixed out and the rhythm left bare. Holly is a precious and charismatic talent and ‘Blast’ was one of the best albums of ‘89, but this was obviously conceived by a record company who credit the public with less sense and shorter memories than themselves. So Holly’s still alive and working on his second LP, just tell us. We’ll understand.
The songs are still good it’s just the idea that sucks
☆☆
Kevin Murphy