Holly Golightly - 'Laugh it up!'

What's in a name? someone smart once asked; well if you're Holly Golightly, probably quite a lot. From her days with Thee Headcoatees to her current incarnation as Spector-style chanteuse, Holly relies heavily on her status as underground It Girl. With this collection of covers, Ms Golightly is not exactly contributing anything fresh; it smacks of self-indulgence and may give more fuel to the nay-sayers who accuse her of coasting on a friendship with a certain young bluesman. Similar to Nouvelle Vague, this isn't quite the same twee earful of french custard, yet will still only appeal to fans of the original recordings. What Holly might have achieved had she lent her still-dulcet tones to more obscure material, we can only wonder, as half way through this does start to feel repetitive. As pointless and decadent as a packet of imported Gauloises and yet in the right circumstances, possibly just as satisfying. [Caroline Hurley]