Sarah Harmer
I Am a Mountain
(Cold Snap/Zoe/Rounder)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2006, Volume 13, #2
Written by John Metzger
After garnering a tremendous amount of praise for her proper solo debut You
Were Here — her previous endeavor Songs for Clem was recorded as a
gift for her father and wasn’t meant for public consumption — Sarah Harmer
seemingly hit a wall with the decidedly lackluster All of Our Names. With
the release of her latest effort I Am a Mountain, however, she officially
is back on track. Employing a largely acoustic supporting cast, Harmer returns
to her roots by shading her traditional-minded material with an array of
impeccably delivered, bluegrass-tinged flourishes, essentially embedding the
poignant lyricism and folk-pop gracefulness of You Were Here within the
pastoral charm of Songs for Clem. As always with Harmer, there’s a quiet,
melancholic flavor to the set, which not only has as much to do with the
expressiveness of her engaging alto as it does with her love-torn and
world-weary lyrics, but also is perfectly suited to relaying the tales of
strength and survival that fill I Am a Mountain. Whether trying to save
Mother Earth on Escarpment Blues, capturing the fragile vulnerability of
Dolly Parton’s Will He Be Waiting for Me?, coming to terms with the
impending death that looms within Goin’ Out, or pondering rebirth on
Oleander, Harmer sounds completely comfortable basking in the warm glow of
her subtle and intimate arrangements, which frequently bring to mind another pair of
Canadian gems: Po’ Girl and Joni Mitchell. 
˝
I Am a Mountain is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box