Music Review: Holly Cole - Holly

She’s billed as a Canadian jazz sensation. But Cole, a gifted singer and two-time Juno Award winner, has never belonged to any one category. That’s because the Halifax native has always been too adventurous. Her first hit was a version of Johnny Nash’s reggae classic “I Can See Clearly Now” and she’s since covered everyone from the Beatles to, most frequently, Tom Waits. Blessed with playful personality, Cole has consistently taken her versatile contralto to unexpected places. That’s true of her ninth album—and first in five years. Although the material is drawn entirely from the American Songbook, there’s nothing conventional about Cole’s approach. Backed stellar musicians, including her longtime sidemen pianist Aaron Davis and bassist David Piltch, she delivers a slow and sexy “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and transforms “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime,” most often associated with Dean Martin, into a deeply poignant ballad. Thanks to her eclectic taste and unbridled talent, Holly is still full of surprises.