Search - Holly Williams :: Ones We Never Knew

Dreamy and emotional; a little ballad-heavy.

D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 12/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Holly Williams has a very mature vocal style which is very appealing. Hers is a voice that endures, rich and worldly, and she writes some good songs to serve her instrument, songs of longing, self-awareness and understated melancholy.



This record is a little like Sarah Harmer's All of Our Names in that it's comprised almost entirely of ballads, dreamy sounds and very light-fingered backbeats. Nothing wrong with that; just don't put on this record expecting Gretchen Wilson. I do wish Williams might have varied her tempos a bit; the closest she comes is the speedy fingerpicked acoustic guitar of "All as It Should Be". But as far as country-flavoured folk ballads go, this is fine material, with the dramatic, gorgeously sung "Man in the Making", the ethereal, heartbreaking lullaby "Nothing More" and the weary piano-driven pledge "Everybody's Waiting for a Change" being highlights.



This is one of those intimate records that sound like you're in the club (or bedroom, or the subway station) with the singer, who's playing with just a guitar, letting the composition and her voice speak for themselves. It's more soothing and thoughtful than exciting, but the very sparseness of this record may be its chief strength. Holly Williams doesn't pretend to be something she's not, and for that she deserves full respect. A great record that's like a direct line into a heartbreak, subtle and moving.

"

Not the Typical Williams

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 10/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Man in the Making, Velvet Sounds, Nothing More



Williams has a pedigree to boot: she's the granddaughter of Hank Sr., the daughter of Hank Jr. and the half brother of Hank III. Yet, musically Williams is not given to nepotism. In fact, she plows on acreage far different from what her bloodlines might suggest. Williams' musical musings owes more to Shawn Colvin and Sheryl Crowe than the turgid hardcore honky tonk blues of her granddad or her dad. Being a singer-songwriter who wrote every song here, Williams, like Mary Chapin Carpenter, is an avid observer of life and relationships. And she possesses an eloquence that is both creative and acerbic. Filled with memorable images and carefully chosen words, her songs tell stories that resonate with the heart and prick the conscience. All of which is deftly brought out by the understated and acoustic leaning production of Monroe Jones (whose production credits include works by Mark Schultz, Marcus Hummon, Chris Rice and Farmer's Daughters).



Lyrically, "The Ones We Never Knew" is never for a moment prosaic: the 12 songs are like tales of people in precautious dispositions told without circumspect. Tackling the taboo topic of sexual desire in the golden years, "Nothing More" an understated guitar driven ballad opens with the memorable line: "underneath this age is a heart of a child." "Would You Still Have Fallen," on the other hand, deals with one's helplessness in the face of suffering. Starting off from a whisper, Williams explodes into a Melissa-Etheridge declamation in the chorus. While "Everybody's Waiting for a Change," a song about self denial, has an ethereal feel created by some fine organ touches. Over some gentle acoustic guitar strumming, Williams bares her soul to the perilous nature of love in the painfully beautiful "I'll Only Break Your Heart." Evocative and sensual is the smooth "Velvet Sounds"- a seductive recollection of a paramour's breath. While "Man in the Making," a slightly more upbeat ballad, deals with the insecurities of a man.



However, two factors work against Williams on this debut recording. Though "The Ones We Never Knew" showcases Williams' mettle as a lyricist, she still has some ways to go in terms of the melody construction. Melodically, there is a sameness that pervades through the entire album, almost giving the impression that one is listening to a very long song. This is further triggered by the lack in tempo variation as most here are folk based ballads. At times, there's not enough in this Nashville native's music to set her apart from the numerous coffee house singers paying their dues at Borders or Starbucks.



Also, this CD is released under the Universal South imprint, home to country music's stalwarts such as Joe Nichols, Pat Green and Nashville star George Canyon. It would certainly be an atrocity if Universal fails to market Williams in a decent way just because she's the sore thumb in a label of radio friendly acts. In short, Williams has potential and this CD is of note though there's still room for improvement."

Powerful Stuff On Pain, Loss, and Love

chilke | Troy, MT United States | 02/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I see some brainy and analytical people have found things to pick at. Some of those anal(ytical) types have lost a lot of heart and soul. If I had too much time on my hands, I could pick like the wannabe reviewers, too. Nah. It is true that this cd lacks genre exercises, which usually tend to annoy me as I settle into the mood of a record. This record plays extremely well as a whole and one need not worry about a "trainwreck" genre exercise popping up. The very best records ever made have usually been thematic. That is why many greatest hits packages can't compare to great records taken as a whole. This record is sequenced to mostly alternate between softer(but not softer emotionally) ballads, and ballads with incredibly powerful choruses. Some of my favorite songs use the quiet-loud dynamics. A good example is the second track, Everybody's Waiting for a Change, which I see is getting some play on streaming audio. I believe that the lazy Melissa comparison diminishes the honest hard-hitting emotional power of Holly's voice. Not to mention Etheridge is a heartland rocker type a la Mellencamp. These heart-wrenching songs have a fresh and vibrant strength and are far from being numerous rewrites of a single hit song. I can live with the Shawn Colvin comparison, but Holly has a lot more power. The Chapin comparison is better. Most of these songs have prominent piano. Can't one of these wordy hacks at least compare Holly to Tori Amos, at least instrumentation-wise? I believe I heard a trumpet on one track and some strings on another. True, it is unfortunate that Holly is on a country label. I guess the quality of this recording will be our little secret. I can live with any Chapin comparisons, although Mary Chapin Carpenter uses far more country flourishes. I believe I detected a single song with pedal steel guitar on Ones We Never Knew. Time will tell if Holly can produce a catalog as tremendous as Chapin's, or as varied and complex as Tori's, but Holly's debut record is better than Chapin's debut record. This is sophisticated pop/rock with a little folky feel here and there. A strong debut and a strong record, period."