Hollie Smith: Coming In From the Dark (Soundsmith)

In an interview Debbie Harwood, one of When the Cat's Away, said, “I know until I drop the last song on my setlist will be [the Cat's huge hit] Melting Pot. No original, solo recording will ever trump that in the public’s eyes”.

Such is the curse of the hit single.

Hollie Smith no doubt felt the same for a long time about Bathe in the River (written by Don McGlashan) which appeared in the film No. 2.

As a songwriter, Smith – like the gifted and wayward Harry Nilsson whose two biggest hits were by other writers – now had that as her most recognisable song.

That said, despite some fine material on her subsequent, big selling solo albums and hit singles – all originals – her material could be uneven

On this, her most musically ambitious album to date -- with the NZSO, Raiza Biza, Teeks and Sol3 Mio – Smith taps contemporary soul, R&B, light funk and the gospel spirit for her best, most consistent and cathartic collection of original songs.

In part perhaps that is because in the past decade or so Smith has proven herself to be an intuitive collaborator and here she not only deploys that remarkable voice on a strong collection of songs written over time, but the collaborations are uniformly empathetic.

Been a long time coming and, despite digressions and diversions, here is Hollie Smith album that will endure.

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You can hear this album at Spotify here.