David Harlow-A Brief
History of David Harlow (Bloodred)
It's kind of ironic that I listened
to David Harlow's debut disk the same day that I saw an ad in MOJO about an
European comeback tour by Dean Friedman. Friedman was a singer/songwriter who
released a few albums in the 70s and the 80s. He had one big hit in the United
States in 1977 with the hysterical story song "Ariel" about a pop musician
having an affair with a Jewish intellectual liberal girl. He never really made much
of a splash in the States again, though he had a couple of other international hits with
the cod-show tune "Lucky Stars" and the quirky "McDonald's
Girl."
Now it might seem like faint praise to compare Harlow to a barely
remembered folk singer from the 70s, but believe me... it is meant as a compliment.
Harlow is also a very talented songwriter who is able to tell a vivid story with his
lyrics. Like Friedman, Harlow's voice is a bit too nasal to be considered
technically perfect (but then again, such artists as Bob Dylan, Louie Armstrong and Tom
Waits have "technically imperfect" voices, so he's in good company.) But
once you get used to the voice, it gives a lived-in human feel to the material.
The
songs are pretty and as a lyricist Harlow can truly paint a picture with words. The
best song on this album is "Far Away," which is actually recorded in two
versions, a rockish band version and an bonus acoustic take. While the song is very
good as a folky tune, frankly the more fleshed out version blows it away. Also
standing out was the lovely ballad "Katy's Gone Away."
It sort of makes
you wish that he tried to throw changeups with a few more of the tunes on the album, which
are all good but do have the problem of sounding musically (at the very least
instrumentally) a little too alike. But, despite this little quibble, The Brief
History Of... makes me interested to see what Harlow can come up with next. (4/02)
Jay S. Jacobs
