This E.P. is Bristol based guitar wizard James Hollingsworth’s latest release and it’s very good. I feel almost ashamed to admit that I hadn’t heard of him before getting hold of a copy of this. James is a guitarist who fuses diverse styles including blues, folk and psychedelic music. However as he states “it’s all just music”. I think that just sums James up, as there is something about this E.P. that makes it impossible to classify (but I’ll try).
The opening and title song ‘Two and Two’ is an acoustic blues number featuring some excellent guitar playing and great harmonica and sax. The lyrics are clever and well-thought out: -
“Can you put two and two together now/Can you see what’s going on? / Are you the one that came in late?/ Who with an eyes-wide realisation thought “How can this carry on".”
This was a great start to the E.P. and I was expecting more of the same, however the next four tracks are live cuts. Three from a Bristol gig in 2008, and one from 2007. All tracks are equally good and showcase James’ talents both as a guitarist and as a singer/songwriter.
‘Sooner or Later’ comes across as a Bob Dylan/Billy Bragg type protest song. The lyrics to this one are very sharp and insightful: “When you look around the world/ It’s hard to imagine things are gonna get better/ Without feeling like an idealistic fool/ Who’s gone and traded dreams for what?”
This comes across as anthemic without overly preaching, and basically states:- “Sooner or later, we’re gonna get wise.”
‘Swansong’ is more introspective and seems to be all about making those life-changing decisions, although such decisions are not always foreseen: - “No more will I take pleasure in the little things/ I will scatter James to the four winds.” And
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“It’s true I never saw this coming.” I thought this was another good example of fine songwriting coupled with some excellent playing.
‘Still Lights up the Rain’ changes direction somewhat and has some psychedelic, slightly eastern overtones. The subject matter deals with being in a large city where the ‘light pollution’ can obscure the stars at night, but how it makes the falling rain shine beautifully: - “But a saving grace transforms the face/ Of the luminescent thief of the stars/ As I raise my eyes to Heaven
To take in the air and breathe in the sight/ Forgiveness shows the brightness/ In a very different light/‘cause it still lights up the rain." I loved this track with the poetic imagery which seemed to catch the mood perfectly.
Finally, the E.P. closes with ‘Faster than Light’ a live track from 2007 of the folk rock variety featuring Sean McBride on flute and Sandro Granda (percussion). This was definitely the fastest (no pun intended) song on the E.P. and asks the question “Can love be faster than light?” This reminded me of some of Genesis’ early work,though not in a bad way I might add. Overall I really liked this E.P. and will definitely go to see James when he’s playing in Bristol next.
James Hollingsworth online
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