Performer Notes

The Holly Cole Trio: Holly Cole (vocals); Aaron Davis (piano); David Piltch (acoustic & electric basses, percussion).
Additional personnel: Rhoda Dog (vocals); Phil Dwyer (alto saxophone); Perry White (tenor saxophone); Earl Seymour (baritone saxophone); Howard Levy (harmonica); Anne Lederman (5-string violin); Douglas Perry (viola); Anne Bourne (cello); Rob Piltch (acoustic guitar); Kevin Breit (electric slide guitar); Dougie Bowne (drums); Cyro Baptista (percussion); The Colettes (background vocals).
Canadian Brass: Ronald Romm, Frederic Mills (trumpet); David Ohanian (French horn); Eugene Watts (trombone); Charles Daellenbach (tuba).
Recorded at Grant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, Ontario Canada and McClear Pathe, Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Tributee: Tom Waits.
On her third American album, Holly Cole turned in a set of Tom Waits songs recorded with an augmented version of her trio; in addition to piano and bass, there are drums and guitar, as well as the occasional contribution from The Canadian Brass and harmonica player Howard Levy. The result puts a welcome twist on the songs, which include numbers from each stage of Waits's career, and reasserts Cole's talent as an interpreter. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Entertainment Weekly (8/18/95, p.56) - "...What's consistently effective is the minimal soundscape crafted by producer Craig Street..." - Rating: B

Q (10/95, pp.113-114) - 3 Stars - Good - "...a rum idea--a whole album of Tom Waits songs...the rough textures cleverly softened..."

NME (Magazine) (10/7/95, p.49) - 7 (out of 10) - "...a minimalist KD Lang....most effective on the Shirelles-esque sass of `Jersey Girl' and the scary `I Don't Wanna Grow Up'--where the Waits original was a rude kid rant, here it's an introverted suicidal lullaby..."