Angelou

In 1997 singer-songwriter Holly Lerski, born in London, England and formerly of Nivens, joined guitarist Jo Baker to launch the folk-tinged UK indie pop group whose name they borrowed from author Maya Angelou. That same year the pair issued the Hallelujah EP on Boo Hewerdine’s independent Haven Records imprint. British critics responded warmly, especially to the band’s treatment of the Leonard Cohen title track modeled on Jeff Buckley’s version. Automiracles arrived in 1998 to wider praise, with guest vocals supplied by Hewerdine and Eddi Reader. Bassist Chris Evans and drummer Phil DiPalma completed the lineup for the follow-up While You Were Sleeping, an album that eclipsed the debut and revealed greater depth in Lerski’s writing; it closed with the affecting Buckley tribute “Little Sister.” Work on a third record stalled over label complications, and after the tapes were returned to England the project was recast as Lerski’s solo outing, released in 2002 under the title Life Is Beautiful.