I love how Hollie Cook is able to blend reggae and dream pop vibes on her new single, “Full Moon Baby.” I enjoyed Cook's first album, Vessel of Love when it came out in 2018, but there's something unique about this track.
This is how you do crossover. It feels like the way forward when even pioneering genres are beginning to retread the same ground over and over again. Almost no stone has been left unturned in even some of my favorite musical styles. I'll always enjoy the familiar, but I'm eager to hear new ways to blend styles and create something that speaks of novelty.
I've never been a huge fan of reggae, but I've never disliked it, either. Even if it was a crutch for some of the early music by The Police.
Sting: The other nice thing about playing a reggae groove in the verses was that you could leave holes in the music. I needed those holes because, initially, I had a hard time singing and playing at the same time. So if we had a signature in the band it was…
Andy Summers: Big holes?
Not too long before my grandfather died, he offered me his collection of reggae cassettes. I declined the offer (cassettes were not the coveted items they've now become, at the time). What if I had accepted the offer? Would my music tastes be totally different now?
Hollie Cook's new album, Happy Hour, will be out 6/24 on Merge Records.
