HOLLY KIRBY – A Woman You Don’t Know (Tinkers Lane Records TLCD010220)

A new name to the folk music scene but surely one to watch out for and I’d definitely suggest you get a copy of Holly Kirby’s debut CD “A Woman You Don’t Know”. Dido immediately sprung to mind when I put on the first track “Tea Leaves & Old Memories” but then again with homage to artists including Joni Mitchell and Loreena McKennitt I can hear bits of all these artists represented here. Kirby’s lyrics are mature and well written and the reference to the ‘poetic soldier of England’ Wilfred Owen shows you should never assume anything particularly as a journalist. Diction is particularly important (to me anyway) and as anyone who’s seen the movie The King’s Speech will testify in this case it’s the lyrical tone of Holly’s voice that eloquently conveys her stories without the need for any airs or graces simply relying on the use of drums and bass from associates James Gilbert and Olli Daffarn respectively. Perhaps the use of a little more instrumentation for decoration may have been nice (I know a mandolin player if you need one – unashamed plug!) but personally I can’t find anything to fault on this recording. The Dawson’s Creek/Smallville/90210 generation are particularly well served by this style of singer/songwriter but even for those of us who have reached a senior period in our lives we’ll still find much to gain from this CD. Finally, with the blossoming of the ukulele as the musician’s instrument of choice on “My Little Ukulele Song” there couldn’t be a more fitting finale to what I hope will be the start of a burgeoning career.

PETE FYFE

Artist website: http://www.hollykirbymusic.com/

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