Quiet, unassumingly lovely fifth album from celebrated Canadian songstress.
A fixture of several underachieving Canadian bands since her late teens, Sarah Harmer rose to prominence in her native country with an album of standards originally recorded as a Christmas present for her father in the late 90s. Since then her solo career has flourished, a Polaris Prize nomination and countless back-up appearances for the likes of Neko Case, Great Lake Swimmers and The Weakerthans under her belt. This didn’t stop her taking a few years to set up an organisation aimed at preserving the wilderness, making Oh Little Fire her first full-length in five years.
Certainly, it’s a very comfortable record. Rich in supple, golden textures and carried by Harmer’s sedative tones, a cursory listen reveals it to be very pleasant, if little else. This is partly because of Harmer’s voice: rarely straining and effortlessly pretty, her very presence strips this album of high stakes or heady drama. But that’s fine, because Oh Little Fire isn’t really about high stakes or heady drama – its strengths lie in the utter breeziness of its melodies, and the telling little details they conceal.
Lees de rest van deze review op BBC CD recensies (Engels)
Bron: BBC Music