Kathryn Williams - Songs From The Novel: Greatest Hits

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think there has ever been another album quite like Greatest Hits. With eleven albums to her name, one could hardly deny Kathryn Williams the luxury of a retrospective collection of her work. But this is not it. No, instead this is a brand new album of 16 songs that doubles as the soundtrack to author Laura Barnett's new novel, her follow-up to the number one best-seller The Versions of Us. Greatest Hits (the novel) is the story of Cass Williams, a fictional musician from the 70s. It begins with Cass picking tracks for her own personal Greatest Hits album. Using one song to introduce each chapter, Barnett thus tells the story of Cass' life and career. Greatest Hits (the album) is therefore Kathryn Williams' and Laura Barnett's collaborative realisation of the 16 songs required to make Greatest Hits (the novel). The book and the album have to fit together like a literary hand and glove, and the songs certainly achieve this with sensitivity and beauty – very reminiscent of Hypoxia, Williams' stunning Sylvia Plath tribute album from two years ago.  This could, and should, be a big hit.