Switched-On

Hollie Cook, one of reggae’s most exciting voices, makes a return to the label that released her cherished debut album in 2011. Landing back on Mr Bongo, 'Night Night' is a stand-alone aperitif and taster of what to expect from the next era in Hollie's musical journey. 

Revisiting her roots, this latest single embraces the trademark reggae / tropical pop sound Hollie found fame with on her first two albums. With a career that has gone from strength to strength since those formative days, the buoyance, charisma, and confidence gained in those subsequent years are on show for all to see.

Recorded at Crosstown Studios in London with the General Roots band and produced, mixed and dubbed by Ben McKone, ‘Night Night’ documents the longing of a lonely lover. Grounded in a sound system rattling bass line, strutting guitars and shimmering keys provide a sunshine-infused contrast. Hollie’s smooth sultry tones radiate throughout, backed by the legendary Horseman on toasting duties - a collaboration that hasn’t been heard since Hollie’s first album. Trading verses, the warmth of Hollie's velvety vocals balances Horseman's raw explosive energy in an absorbing harmony.

In true reggae style, the 7" single is backed with a classic dub mix, adding spacey reverb and delays, whilst giving Hollie and Horseman a more spacious streamlined flow in the mix.


Hollie Cook Ft. Horseman - Night Night

Hollie Cook wears her heart on her sleeve with the bittersweet love song ‘Frontline'. Steeped in deep roots flavours, it’s a timeless production written alongside friends and fellow collaborators Ben McKone and Luke Allwood of General Roots fame.

One of the more melancholic productions taken from Hollie Cook's forthcoming fifth album Shy Girl, ‘Frontline’ embraces Hollie's dedication to staying true to herself and authentic to her craft. A vintage British lovers’ rock vocal delivery sees Hollie open up through her lyrics with an emotional depth and striking honesty. It stirs up feelings of underground classics such as Sonia's 'Easier To Love’, yet is backed with a slightly tougher and rougher roots tone, giving it a distinctive edge and attitude. Raking electric guitar lines and a dubby bassline from the General Roots band lay the foundations, as an uplifting horn section brings a sense of hope to proceedings. 

In ‘Frontline’ Hollie delivers a powerful cut that’s both ethereal and empowering, providing another signature example of her classic yet contemporary sound.

Frontline

The next single taken from Hollie Cook’s forthcoming fifth album, Shy Girl, is a heavenly and distinctive reggae cover of Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, ‘We Share Love’. Further embodying Hollie's dedication to staying true to herself and remaining authentic to her craft, it has the air of a timeless production yet with a contemporary edge. 

Providing the perfect send-off and closing track to Shy Girl, ‘We Share Love’ is a celestial cover of Skip Mahoney & The Casuals 1974 classic. It sees Hollie and the General Roots band flip the soul-infused original into a hazy, sun-soaked roots beauty. Hollie’s dreamy tones are supplemented by a bouncing bassline, tender organs, and lush vocal harmonies from the brilliant Jalen Ngonda. Bathed in emotion and grounded in love and longing, this reggae reinterpretation is an exquisite ethereal ending to the album.


We Share Love

Almost fifteen years since the release of her self-titled debut LP on Mr Bongo, reggae’s orator of love Hollie Cook is returning to the label for Shy Girl, her fifth studio album and her most authentic yet. Woven with tight grooves, beautiful vocals and catchy melodies, Shy Girl hears singer and songwriter Hollie Cook revel in her contemporary lovers rock sound, more confident and open to vulnerability than ever before.
 
A sun-drenched exploration of love in all its guises, Shy Girl tells stories of the magical and the melancholy, the heart-lifting and heart-breaking, across 12 luscious, analogue reggae compositions - the culmination of a soft-hued and instantly recognisable “tropical pop” sound that Cook has made her own.
 
Put together across three years and four cities – from LA and NYC, to Vejer de la Frontera in Spain and Cook’s hometown London – Shy Girl was written with long-time collaborators, The General Roots Band, and features a contribution from legendary dub MC Horseman, who lends his voice to the album’s first single ‘Night Night’.
 
The album opens with the title track ‘Shy Girl’, a buoyant and elastic slice of lovers rock that was written in a moment of spontaneous intuition, and bubbles with a charisma and positivity that Cook radiates. “I’m not a natural show-off,” Cook explains. “The Shy Girl theme is me. It’s just about being my most vulnerable self and being as true to the music that Iove as possible.” It is this honesty which shines throughout, from the chugging deep dub of ‘Frontline’, complete with raking electric guitar lines, to the bittersweet roots ballad ‘We Share Love’, which closes out the album.

It's clear to see that Cook’s songwriting draws on a lifetime of musical influences and inspirations. From her father, Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook’s record collection and touring with post-punk icon Ari Up’s The Slits, to her love for strong female-led pop music and the bassweight of London’s sound system culture. Enamoured with the music of Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon, Shy Girl represents a homecoming and a coming-of-age for Hollie Cook, distilling and refining a shimmering reggae sound that will capture your heart, as it first captured hers. 


Hollie Cook - Holding On

Bedstemors Have

Sly and Robbie doing a reggae cover of the Marvin Gaye song "Inner City Blues"

Sly and Robbie "Inner City Blues"

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The Hempolics - Boss Clock Me Style
Vocals by Nubiya Brandon

Taken from the forthcoming debut album 'Kiss, Cuddle & Torture Vol. 1' released on 6th October 2017.

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The Hempolics "Boss Clock Me Style" Original

08 - Boozoo Bajou - Same Sun (Tontelas Roots Version)

An unreleased version of a classic track from the Songs Of Praise album uncovered by our tape archivist Patrick Dokter, it can be heard on the forthcoming Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi LP and the Drumming Is A Language CD boxset. Both will be in record shops worldwide on 6th March 2020 or you can pre-order here: https://on-u-sound.ffm.to/ahcdrum

African Head Charge - Dub Some More

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