“intensely original, full of emotion, suave sophistication, and expression” – AllMusic
Holly Cole isn’t one of those artists who falls into any one category. Her smoky voice is sultry, her arrangements smart and sexy. Additionally, she and her musicians very uniquely reshape traditional jazz, pop and country standards.
Cole recently released her thirteenth studio album, 2025’s Dark Moon. There, she teamed up with her long-time live performance partners along with additional musicians to create rich harmonies and layers. Thus, this album is a true ensemble project that highlights her signature style. The first featured single is “No Moon At All”, an up-tempo, sexy version of the track originally recorded by Peggy Lee. Here, she features a wonderful Howard Levy (2-time Grammy winner, friend, and original member of the Flecktones) harmonica solo.
Ms. Cole is a is a world-renowned Juno award winning Canadian singer who began her career in 1989. Then, she released her 4-song EP Christmas Blues followed by her debut album, 1990’s Girl Talk. In 1992, she released Blame It on My Youth which included her version of “Calling You”, a hit single in Japan. The next album, Don’t Smoke In Bed featured her rendition of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”. Then, her following release, the critically acclaimed Temptation, showcased material exclusively written by Tom Waits, one of Holly’s favorite songwriters.
She has gone on to record many more full-length recordings including her latest, 2025’s Dark Moon. There, she and her wonderful band reinvent songs from Marty Balin, Peggy Lee, Hal David, Burt Bacharach and Johnny Mercer.
Recommended for fans of Peggy Lee, Diana Krall, Jane Monheit and Rickie Lee Jones.
