james hollingsworth : 5 songs for £3 - 'two and two' (EP

"if you like the sound of acoustic music that allows itself to breathe and subsequently allows the listener to get lost, then this is most definitely for you." - Dave Urwin (Live Music Scene)

Two and Two (EP cd - 2010)

20/09/10 - James' new cd EP 'Two and Two' was launched yesterday and he actually sold out at his gig in Monmouth!

The cd includes the title track with Sean McBride on sax plus 4 live recordings: Sooner or Later, Swansong and Still Lights up the Rain recorded live at Bristol's St George's Hall + a live version of Faster than Light with Sean McBride (flute) and Sandro Granda (percussion) recorded at the launch gig of James' Coming Home to Stay album in March 2007.

The artwork includes the perfect 5-sided rosette formed by the dance of Earth and Venus over 8 Earth-years.

Get the album direct from James at a gig for £3, or press the Buy Now button to order via Paypal.

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"The first time I reviewed James Hollingsworth nearly three years ago I likened his music, in the best possible way, to being slapped in the face with a kipper. When slapped in the face with a kipper the novelty of the incident can make it seem utterly wonderful for some time, but subsequent slappings may start to wear thin. Such has been the way with a number of artists who have instantly impressed me; I was expecting too much from subsequent releases and they never stood a chance of scaling the same heights. Such was my concern with the new release from this enigmatic Bristolian musician.

"Well, the bluesy opening title track I must confess did not have the same trance-inducing qualities that I have come to expect from this artist. However, within a minute of the next, ‘Sooner or Later’, I was transported back to the place where I first heard him. Hollingsworth at his best has a way of making his music seem like you are actually floating inside his brain and feeling every random thought, mood swing or epiphany. I know not quite how he manages this, but his voice soars and his fingers seem to take a journey round spaghetti junction on the fretboard. ‘Swansong’ is in the same vein, and lyrically it seems to deal with feelings of disillusionment. I can’t really draw direct comparison with any other artists, although at times his voice has echoes of Love’s Arthur Lee, then a touch of Cat Stevens, while the guitar occasionally has flourishes of the wonderful James Blackshaw. The closing ‘Faster Than the Light’ features frantic strumming, set against a backdrop of muffled bongos and a flute that lost it’s way on a journey through Chemical Brothers’ ‘The Private Psychedelic Reel.’ All in all, if you like the sound of acoustic music that allows itself to breathe and subsequently allows the listener to get lost, then this is most definitely for you.

"I’ve still not witnessed Mr Hollingsworth in the live environment, but talk of him using a ‘Song Map’, choosing songs to fit his mood and that of the audience, and having a repertoire of over 350 covers, it should surely be high on my list of priorities. This is music that genuinely provides escapism from the largely disappointing modern society, as it has the timeless qualities required not to slap you with a kipper, but to sit you down on the shoreline and block out all the nonsense."

- Dave Urwin (Live Music Scene).

Buy now direct from James using secure online billing with Paypal for £3.50 including postage.

The EP is available for mp3 download from Soundclick for $2.99 with 3 bonus tracks.