Holly Brook, 24, the female vocalist from the 2006 Fort Minor hit "Where'd You Go," has released a new seven-track EP entitled O'Dark: Thirty. This is a major accomplishment for the young chanteuse, who has been dealing with the rough ups-and-downs of major record labels for the last few years. Her first album "Like Blood, Like Honey" was an amazing acoustically-driven ride through some much deeper issues than one would expect from a 20-year old (no mixing up Romeo & Juliet and The Scarlett Letter here!). This new EP, released on Bandcamp and produced by 90s hitmaker turned Broadway-musical writer Duncan Sheik (with whom Brook starred in his newest musical Whisper House earlier this year), is a bit more pop-tinged than its predecessor, the first track "It's Raining Again" especially being an interesting blend of harp strings and a drum machine, creating the effect of falling raindrops. Brook's lovely, breathy voice is a perfect mach for her songwriting. "Haunted," a track that was briefly released three years ago (though at the time much less produced), is a melodically simple song made complicated by its profound lyrics as well as its performers vocal arpeggios. The hard rock-tinged "Ordinary Tune" is probably Brook's farthest departure from the sound of her first album, an almost-gothic love song with a pervading ocean metaphor.

Brook's other project is the band Deep Deep Sleep with the brother David and Adam Iscove; together they will also be releasing a seven-track EP this summer, which is now being mixed, according to their Facebook page. Their first music video "Erase You" was released earlier this week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaYpcCviQxs ~ Deep, Deep sleep Erase you: By: Holly Brooks