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COMPLETE HARMONY
Susan Jarvis
HARMONY JAMES must have had a subconscious knowledge, even at 14 when she changed her name on a whim, that music was always going to be her destiny.
She made a huge splash a couple of years back when she released her debut EP, featuring two world-class singles, Tailwind and Somebody Stole My Horse.
Tailwind was the first Australian song ever to win the country category of the International Songwriting Competition, and it blew the judges - including ROSANNE CASH - out of the water.
Then along came Somebody Stole My Horse, one of the most original and appealing songs to appear on the country scene in a decade. Despite Harmony being a complete unknown when it was released, the track became Australia’s second most played country song in 2008.
Harmony is quick to mention the vital part producer HERM KOVAC has played in the recording process from the outset.
“I was really fortunate to find Herm as a producer. When I first went looking a few years back, with Herm what I really noticed was the fact that his records sounded like the artist, not the producer. I was very conscious of the fact that I wanted my songs to remain a true reflection of what it is that I do so that I could replicate the sound in the future.
“It takes a huge amount of trust to give your songs to someone and pay them to translate them into a product. I felt I could trust Herm to respect the songs and to consider my opinion on which direction they should take, and he certainly delivered.”
Delivered is the operative word. The original four track EP produced three Top 10 radio hits, a finalist placing in the Golden Guitars, and huge recognition as a songwriter with the International Songwriting Competition and several other awards.
So when it came to recording the full album, the choice of producer was easy.
“Herm had done a great job with the EP, and he believed in the music,” said Harmony. “We work together well because he understands the technical side of how to get that song to step up, but doesn’t intervene into a song to try to appeal to marketability.
“I know a lot of people can write great tracks with a specific audience in mind, but I prefer to write from the heart and then cull tracks that might not be contenders for the general public.”
Now Harmony has released her first full-length album Tailwind - indeed, it’s a bumper collection of 16 tracks, including remixed versions of the title track,
Somebody Stole My Horse and Home from the EP.
The album delivers everything promised by Harmony’s initial EP outing. It confirms that she is a talented and skilled songwriter, creating fresh music rich in insight, humour and plenty of appeal.
It also shows that she is one of the finest vocalists of her generation, both in terms of sheer vocal quality and her ability to interpret all the nuances and emotions of a song.
The first single, Fly, has already received a rapturous reception. It’s an exquisite song about the power of hopes and dreams, and the ability to transcend your own doubts about yourself.
“This is a very personal song,” Harmony said.
“When I was a young girl, I imagined being a singer but never quite believed it would happen. Now I look back at who I was and at what is beginning to happen for me, and wonder what else I might have achieved if I hadn’t held myself back.”
Harmony had an unusual childhood by any standards. One of 12 children born to a Baptist preacher, she led a sheltered life and was home schooled, rarely mixing with children other than her four brothers and seven sisters.
She was born in Melbourne, but grew up in Cairns, before heading bush when she finished her education to follow a dream of living in the outback.
She worked all over Queensland, taking several years out to complete a degree in agriculture, specializing in beef cattle. Then it was off to the wide open spaces of the Territory for a few more years.
“I guess I’ve done a lot of things I never thought were possible,” Harmony said.
“When I was a teenager, I loved reading those old Western novels, and that was the dream I chased as an adult. It’s still very much part of who I am.”
Those images and more are captured on one of the album’s most stunning tracks, the captivating Painted Pony.
“There’s a lot of autobiographical stuff in that song – I sometimes think I’m a bit too honest for my own good,” Harmony said. “But I’ve realized there is no changing things now because it’s my story, and it’s who I am.”
Harmony admits that some of the other tracks on the album are also very revealing of her inner state - especially those about being hurt by love.
“Hey, I admit it - I’ve had my heart broken by a saddle bronc rider. And there are a few songs inspired by my experiences,” she said.
They include Tailwind, about needing to get away from a difficult situation, the vulnerable The Way That I Felt, the heartfelt Good Enough (another standout track) and the wonderful, angry Cold, Cold Rage.
“I’m a girl who tells it like it is, and they are all aspects of going through a painful breakup and emerging out the other side. Not surprisingly, people relate to these songs when I sing them live,” Harmony said.
Harmony has roped in the legendary KEVIN BENNETT to duet with her on Some People Give, an acknowledgement of the quiet selflessness of some of our fellow travellers in life.
Other standout tracks include the quirky and funny Pretty, which is a single-in-waiting, and Precious Little, inspired by many of Harmony’s friends who’ve suddenly realized that what they had always taken for granted might not happen.
Already, Harmony has plenty of accolades under her belt, but it’s only the start of what promises to be a stellar career for this unique and talented young woman.
Tailwind will be launched at this year’s Darwin City Muster on July 11, before Harmony heads off for a stint on Lord Howe Island with fellow songstress POLLY MEDLEN on July 17.
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