Thursday, March 02, 2006  

Sarah Harmer, Aglow at the Birchmere
Washington Post, Thursday, March 2, 2006; Page C08

It looked a few years ago as if Sarah Harmer was on the verge of alt-rock stardom. The Canadian singer-songwriter's U.S. debut, 2000's "You Were Here," featured 12 pop gems, each brimming with clever lyrics, punchy melodies and Harmer's crystalline voice. The follow-up, "All of Our Names," was a critical favorite, but the popular success didn't quite come. The music scene had shifted away from female singer-songwriters, and Harmer's brand of intelligent pop didn't seem to have a firm place in the market.

But as Harmer proved before a sea of khaki pants at her Birchmere concert Tuesday, she'll have a long, prosperous career at the left of the dial and in adult-rock clubs, where the NPR crowd gathers to hear smart, rootsy music. Her latest CD, the country-heavy "I'm a Mountain," plays directly to that audience, but it's not a marketing ruse: In 1999 Harmer self-released "Songs for Clem," a back-porch-recorded tribute to her father and to American music, from jazz ("Stormy Weather") to bluegrass ("Blue Moon of Kentucky").

Harmer showed Tuesday that she's a fine finger-style guitarist and a great singer whose voice recalls the strength and purity of Emmylou Harris's. Her five chamber-folk band mates were equally talented, changing instruments and providing spot-on harmonies with ease. It was as if Harmer had raided a band camp and found the most talented singers and multi-instrumentalists in all of Ontario.

The concert featured many tunes from "I'm a Mountain," including "I Am Aglow," "Oleander" and the Dolly Parton cover "Will He Be Waiting for Me?" But Harmer also reinterpreted some of her older, softer songs, including "Lodestar" and "Capsized." She also took requests from the crowd during a solo segment, performing "The Hideout" and a cover of "Wildlife" by fellow Canadian songwriter David Hodge.

After 20 songs, Harmer and Co. finished with an unamplified and unmiked version of "How Deep in the Valley," their closing harmonies drifting into the second standing ovation. Who needs alt-rock anyway? --Christopher Porter

Posted by CP | Link |

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