I'm a Mountain
| I'm a Mountain | ||||
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Martin Kinack, Gavin Brown | ||||
| Sarah Harmer chronology | ||||
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I'm a Mountain is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter
History
Unlike her two previous albums, You Were Here and All of Our Names, I'm a Mountain is an acoustic folk and bluegrass album, for the most part. The instrumentation on the album consists mainly of acoustic guitars, double basses, fiddles, mandolins, and percussion. The entire album was completed in one week. Harmer noted this was due to most of the material having been previously worked out during her latest tour. Harmer stated in a Billboard magazine interview: "There's nothing like confidence when you [are] in the studio. We were feeling really good." No single was released and the complete album was shipped to radio stations playing music in Americana, bluegrass and folk formats.[1]
Some of the songs were written as early as 1998 and others just prior to recording. All the songs but two were recorded live in the studio. Two songs on the album, "Oleander" and "Goin' Out", feature Harmer's father Clem on backing vocals.[2]
Harmer grew up near the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario, and learning of the threat of development there, she began to raise awareness about the situation. The song "Escarpment Blues" was written to present Harmer's concern over its future.[3]
The album was nominated for the
It would be five years before Harmer's next release.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Allmusic |   [3] |
| Billboard | (no rating)[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[5] |
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for
Billboard magazine's review singled out several songs, writing "Harmer's ongoing personal discovery has been a joy through these past few years, and with this latest turn is no different."[4]
Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, specifically praising Harmer's cover of Dolly Parton's "Will He Be Waiting for Me", writing: "The soothing lo-fi-ness of Sarah Harmer's folk-country tunes, and her warm crystal-clear vocals... offer a lovely respite."[5]
Track listing
All tracks written by Harmer except as noted.
- "The Ring" – 3:09
- "I am Aglow" – 2:44
- "Oleander" – 3:28
- "I'm a Mountain" – 3:09
- "Goin' Out" – 4:56
- "Will He be Waiting for Me" (Dolly Parton) – 3:36
- "Escarpment Blues" – 4:01
- "The Phoenix" – 3:55
- "Salamandre" (Chris Brown, Kate Fenner) – 2:37
- "Luther's Got the Blues" (Luther Wright) – 3:50
- "How Deep in the Valley" – 5:07
Personnel
- Sarah Harmer – vocals, guitar
- Chris Bartos – fiddle
- Willie P. Bennett – harmonica
- Luther Wright – banjo, harmonica, harmony vocals
- Dan Curtis – guitar
- John Dinsmore – bass
- Jason Euringer – harmony vocals, upright bass
- Spencer Evans – clarinet, piano, accordion
- Dean Stone – percussion
- Clem Harmer – harmony vocals
Production
- Produced by Sarah Harmer, Martin Kinack and Gavin Brown
- Mixed by Denis Tougas and Martin Kinack
- Engineered by Denis Tougas and Martin Kinack
- Mastered by Joao Carvalho
References
- ^ LaBlanc, Larry (February 2006). "Harmer Shows Her Range". Billboard.
- ^ Goodman, Frank. "Interview with Sarah Harmer". Puremusic. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ a b "Review: I'm a Mountain > Review". Billboard. February 2006.
- ^ a b Johnson, Beth (March 2004). "Review: I'm a Mountain > Review". Entertainment Weekly.