American OriginalThe characters in Nick Holmes’ lyrics have always just gone too far. They have found their connection to the normal world, and determined there was more. They are dark and comic personalities. The bridge sections of those songs, rather than leading us to a safer place, take us deeper into what it means to be free. It’s a place where protagonists take full responsibility for everything, and call it a godlike freedom. The ballads have dimension. They tell stories of intrigue and adventure, deceit and vision. His characters, and what moves them, invite us in. There are no lyrics in the lexicon of story telling songwriters that more deserve the designation of ‘Noir’ than those of Nick Holmes. (Helga Simonette)