brady harris. lone star. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Lone Star Brady Harris Lampshade (2003) First of all, this ain't no country hoedown, cowboy hat-wearin' collection of songs about somebody's pick up truck, cheatin' boyfriend, or whiskey-talkin' shot glass. This ain't no twangfest, and this surely as shootin' ain't no Cowboy Copas night at the Copacabana. Nope, this is pure pop, albeit sprinkled here and there with some country touches, and it's served up with style by Brady Harris, who is pictured on the back cover of this album holding a Hofner bass, so right away you know what you're in for, except you really don't until you take this disc for a spin. Okay, no more country music jokes (hey, we like the country, too!). Lone Star, I'm thinking, refers to the basically one-man-band approach that Harris has taken (he's augmented on a few tracks by guest drum, harmonica and pedal steel players). Sounding, at times, like his voice is channeling John Lennon, this multi-talented master of melody delivers the goods in grand style, all about the song at every turn. Working country conventions into his work like a chef might do with a pinch of this or that, Harris turns a song like "Welcome Me Back" into a flavorful melange of melody and harmony. Ostensibly a warm, mid-tempo pop song, it sounds like something the Byrds might have tackled, post-Sweethearts of the Rodeo. The pretty "Good to Know" might be a song that Lennon would have come up with, had he been thinking of writing a country song. The pedal steel, played with feeling by Tucker Jackson, gives the song color and breadth. "Strangers When We Meet" is similarly sung with a Lennon quality fueling Harris' voice, and, once again, Jackson's pedal steel is worth the price of admission. Harris' purely pop side is similarly worthy. He throws in little touches here and there that give his songs added dimension, sometimes surprising. In "Weekend in Detroit," he colors a very catchy Beatlesque tune with background vocals that sound right out of the WIzard of Oz. He channels Johnny Rivers in the moody yet upbeat "Streets of Spain," and then turns the tables by ramping up the guitars towards the end. He conjures up a touch of British folk (and a measure of the softer side of the old Jethro Tull) in the cozy "Amethyst." And he infuses the swaying "Can't Wait 2CU" with a Lennonesque quality that makes the lyric, a lover's strong proclamation of love, practically shake with emotion. The hint of Marvin Gaye in the arrangement is a nice touch. "Never Lost in a Crowd," a straight ahead pop song fueled by shakers and a particularly infectious melody, is the prototypical one-man-band track, one which sounds like it would have been a good match for Emitt Rhodes, to whom this album is dedicated. Brady Harris isn't the only musician playing the lion's share of instruments in his home studio these days, but he's one of the best, and this fine record is proof. Alan Haber April 17, 2005
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Lone Star
Brady Harris
Lampshade (2003)

brady harris' lone star First of all, this ain't no country hoedown, cowboy hat-wearin' collection of songs about somebody's pick up truck, cheatin' boyfriend, or whiskey-talkin' shot glass. This ain't no twangfest, and this surely as shootin' ain't no Cowboy Copas night at the Copacabana. Nope, this is pure pop, albeit sprinkled here and there with some country touches, and it's served up with style by Brady Harris, who is pictured on the back cover of this album holding a Hofner bass, so right away you know what you're in for, except you really don't until you take this disc for a spin.

Okay, no more country music jokes (hey, we like the country, too!). Lone Star, I'm thinking, refers to the basically one-man-band approach that Harris has taken (he's augmented on a few tracks by guest drum, harmonica and pedal steel players). Sounding, at times, like his voice is channeling John Lennon, this multi-talented master of melody delivers the goods in grand style, all about the song at every turn.

Working country conventions into his work like a chef might do with a pinch of this or that, Harris turns a song like "Welcome Me Back" into a flavorful melange of melody and harmony. Ostensibly a warm, mid-tempo pop song, it sounds like something the Byrds might have tackled, post-Sweethearts of the Rodeo. The pretty "Good to Know" might be a song that Lennon would have come up with, had he been thinking of writing a country song. The pedal steel, played with feeling by Tucker Jackson, gives the song color and breadth. "Strangers When We Meet" is similarly sung with a Lennon quality fueling Harris' voice, and, once again, Jackson's pedal steel is worth the price of admission.

Harris' purely pop side is similarly worthy. He throws in little touches here and there that give his songs added dimension, sometimes surprising. In "Weekend in Detroit," he colors a very catchy Beatlesque tune with background vocals that sound right out of the WIzard of Oz. He channels Johnny Rivers in the moody yet upbeat "Streets of Spain," and then turns the tables by ramping up the guitars towards the end. He conjures up a touch of British folk (and a measure of the softer side of the old Jethro Tull) in the cozy "Amethyst." And he infuses the swaying "Can't Wait 2CU" with a Lennonesque quality that makes the lyric, a lover's strong proclamation of love, practically shake with emotion. The hint of Marvin Gaye in the arrangement is a nice touch.

"Never Lost in a Crowd," a straight ahead pop song fueled by shakers and a particularly infectious melody, is the prototypical one-man-band track, one which sounds like it would have been a good match for Emitt Rhodes, to whom this album is dedicated. Brady Harris isn't the only musician playing the lion's share of instruments in his home studio these days, but he's one of the best, and this fine record is proof.

Alan Haber
April 17, 2005