oh little fire
- Sarah Harmer
- Universal
The title of Sarah Harmer's blog is "Scrawl," which is something the fresh-breathed Canadian singer-songwriter doesn't do at all - at least not on the doozy oh little fire, her first album in five years. On this disc of 10 originals and one cover (the tumbleweed, what-about-me philosophizing of Silverado), Harmer is breezily meticulous - there's not a word put of place, not a note her clean voice misses, not a melody that fails to take you by the hand. There's a little more texture here than Harmer's previous albums, and there's a new appreciation for softly-glowing California rock. The strength though is Harmer's song craft, specifically her words, which are so image-laden and coherent that I'm even reading novels into her "oh-oh-ohs." Was she always this good?
Sarah Harmer plays Toronto's Palais Royale on Tuesday, with numerous summer festival appearances to follow.
Brad Wheeler