01. I Shall Not Be Moved
02. Through The Night
03. When We Were Young (Radio Edit)
04. No One Left to Blame
05. Cold Heart (live)
06. Worthy Of Love
07. Silhouettes of You
08. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
09. Lend Me Your Love
10. (This Is My) Amnesty
11. Bless Ma Soul
12. Heartstring
13. I Don't Live Here Anymore
14. Underneath The River (live)
15. The Reformation
16. Move Over
17. Sweet Man Moses
18. Changing of the Guard
19. Sideways
20. Underneath The River
21. Person of Interest
22. Better Woman (live)
23. Fragile
24. Cold Heart
25. The Final Page
26. Better Woman
27. Lonely Like Me
28. What You Did For Me
29. When We Were Young (Bonus Track)
30. Summer Breeze 

Soul and blues singer/songwriter Jo Harman was born in Luton, but grew up in Devon in the south-west of England. Although she didn't come from a musical family, she committed to studying it, and attended the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Following her graduation, she self-released Live at the Hideaway, which caught the attention of music promoter Live Nation and landed her a slot supporting the Cranberries. Harman followed up that live record with her debut studio album, Dirt on My Tongue, which she also released independently. Although her music was influenced heavily by the blues, she also cited contemporary artists like Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, and Amy Winehouse as influences alongside legendary singers like Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James. In 2014 she was awarded a grant from the Music Export Growth Scheme so she could promote her album in the U.S. market. The success of her first record saw her performing at London's Bluesfest at the Royal Albert Hall, and in 2015 she was invited to perform with Patti Smith and Joan Baez at Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience awards in Berlin. Harman's second studio record, People We Become, was recorded in Nashville and scheduled for release in early 2017. ---Bekki Bemrose, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto solidfiles global-files

back

1 	Through The Night 	
2 	Cold Heart 	
3 	Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City 	
4 	(This Is My) Amnesty 	
5 	Underneath The River 	
6 	Sweet Man Moses 	
7 	SIdeways 	
8 	Better Woman 	

Jo Harman - vocals
Dave Ital - guitar and vocals
Steve Watts - keyboards and vocals
Andy Tolman - bass
Martin “Magic” Johnson - drums

Jo Harman is the female shining light of the British Blues scene. That is beyond doubt, the critical feedback on her debut album has been universally positive. The album Jo Harman and Company Live at The Royal Albert Hall was recorded at Bluesfest by the BBC in 2013 and it is fitting that it gets it's UK release two days before Jo returns to perform with her amazing band this year. ---amazon.co.uk

In 2012, this reviewer and e-zine discovered a blues chanteuse ‘across the pond’ in the UK named Jo Harman. Back then, she and her ensemble performed Live At Hideaway; now they’re Live at the Royal Albert Hall. This year Jo was selected from six finalists to be “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the British Blues Awards. According to her promotional materials, she revealed, “I’m not entirely sure music should be a competition in quite this way, which is why I never particularly mentioned the nomination or campaigned for votes.” This attitude is refreshing in an era of ‘winner-take-all’, no matter what the endeavor or the cost. Jo is never afraid to be herself above all, giving everything to her sultry take on blues rock and ballads. On this album, it’s typically low-key, despite a few fast and gritty numbers. Six out of eight are compositions either written or co-written by Harman herself. The three mentioned below showcase her voice best.

Says Harman of their finished product, in the liner notes: “This is a caught-in-the-moment, as-it-happened, honest recording made by the BBC. There are no edits, no fixes, no processing, no colouring…What you hear is what we played, raw and untampered.”

Track 02: “Cold Heart” – Slightly reminiscent of Sheryl Crow’s “I Shall Believe”, this original song is almost eerie. It’s a slow burner, but as hot as a certain infernal place. Harman tells her partner what absolutely no one wants to hear: “You’ve got one thing: a cold heart.” It’s an ultimatum as much as a description, the final word in a broken relationship. Steve Watts is understated yet brilliant on piano keyboards, which complement Jo’s lilting voice perfectly.

Track 03: “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” – This cover of an R&B hit by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, popularized by Bobby “Blue” Bland, is absolutely super. “Ain’t no love in the heart of the city; ain’t no love in the heart of town. Ain’t no love, and it’s sure ‘nuff a pity. Ain’t no love, ‘cause you ain’t around.” A timeless sentiment such as this is best backed up by Dave Ital’s rollicking electric guitar solo.

Track 05: “Underneath the River” – With an irresistible rock ‘hook’ and thumping backbeat by Martin “Magic” Johnson, track five just might drive blues rock fans insane with excitement. It’s a surefire party anthem with just the right touch of sweetness amid the spice. “Girls,” Jo explains beforehand, “I think you’ll understand there are times when we feel a little bit crazy, and you know what? The men, too.”

Jo Harman and Co. will delight fans in Britain and worldwide with Live at the Royal Albert Hall! ---Rainey Wetnight, bluesblastmagazine.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global-files

back

01. No One Left to Blame 
02. Silhouettes of You 
03. Lend Me Your Love 
04. Unchanged and Alone 
05. The Reformation 
06. Changing of the Guard 
07. Person of Interest 
08. When We Were Young 
09. The Final Page  
10. Lonely Like Me  
11. When We Were Young (Bonus Track)

So who the hell is Jo Harman? Her 2013 debut album Dirt On My Tongue blended rock, soul, blues and jazz with a maturity way beyond her tender years. Get Ready To ROCK!’s Pete Feenstra described it as a surprisingly mature a ‘after hours’ album ‘tied up with her evocative phrasing, pristine diction and a husky voice that swamps the lyrics in honey’.

She might hail from Devon, but Harman’s musical roots lie many thousands of miles away across the Atlantic in the blues and soul of the Deep South of the US of A. Her gospel soulfulness reminds of Anita Baker, her pop sensibilities of Annie Lennox, and her mainstream singer songwriter appeal of Sarah McLachlan. Benchmarks Harman clears with seeming ease.

My issue with both her debut, and People We Become, is that she doesn’t emerge with any clear self-identity or direction.

But by Harman’s own admission she’s not trying to fit in anywhere, but “trying to write classic songs, and present them with classic production. When you try to chase what’s going on at the moment, then it’s going to sound old very quickly.”

In that sense, People We Become is mission achieved – an exquisite album rooted in the classic, timeless music of past generations (Julia Fordham, in particular, springs to mind), and quite possibly the finest female blue eyed soul vocal performance you’ll hear this year.

But there’s a certain irony that its primary appeal will lie with a generation who are most likely now grandparents, food shop at M&S, and whose annual holiday plans will include at least one cruise. A facet magnified by a cameo appearance by Michael McDonald – the man whose soulfulness drained the Doobie Brothers of their own.

But, if you like your waffles served with a large dollop of maple syrup (as opposed to bacon and grits), and Michael McDonald at the ‘Albert’ is on your bucket list, People We Become will not disappoint. ---Ash Wilson, getreadytorock.me.uk

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global-files

back

1. Jo Harman - I Shall Not Be Moved (4:07)
2. Jo Harman - Worthy Of Love (3:30)
3. Jo Harman - (This is My) Amnesty (4:47)
4. Jo Harman - Heartstring (3:27)
5. Jo Harman - I Don't Live Here Anymore (4:38)
6. Jo Harman - Sweet Man Moses (5:48)
7. Jo Harman - Underneath The River (4:31)
8. Jo Harman - Fragile (6:01)
9. Jo Harman - Cold Heart (5:13)
10. Jo Harman - Better Woman (6:58)
11. Jo Harman - What You Did For Me (4:18)

Amazing début CD, there are some albums you listen to and say – that’s nice upload onto you MP3 player and never care whether you hear it again, Jo Harman’s , ‘Dirt on Your Tongue’, is MOST definitely not one of those. It is a beautifully constructed CD that works well listening in order and the individual tracks stand out when played as part of a random stream. This is a collection of wistful lyrics sung with stunning clarity displaying the full range of Jo’s exquisite singing voice, which starts on a high and soars into the stratosphere with each track having its own unique shape and tone.

I have now listened to it a number of times and with each play little complexities and subtleties display themselves, and the stand out track changes depending on your mood from ‘Heartstring’ with its strong beat contemporary foot tapping music that is energetic music to dance too, through to the thought-provoking ‘Fragile’ with the opening words “I am a long way from Janice…” a harmonious combination of her voice and piano, that would be at home in Jazz Clubs across the land. Whilst ‘I don’t Live Here Anymore’, is a confessional song that could be dismal and depressing not so here as Jo has given it Country overtones that work.

The voice is the highlight of this album, but this would not work so well if it was not for the talented musicianship provided by Steve Watts piano and Hammond stylings and Phil Mulfords upright bass combined with superb song writing skills by Jo Harman and her partner in crime, Mike Davies. This is an album that is a little bit gospel, little bit blues, little bit Soul, little bit classic, little bit jazz; it is the complete mix a fusion of sound that makes a complete sound that will become instantly recognizable as Jo Harman’s magic touch as the album, ‘Dirt on Your Tongue’ will soon be on everyone’s lips as she should receive airplay across the networks with this stunningly elegant collection of songs delivered with commitment and passion. Album of 2013 if not the decade… go listen, go buy and get out and see Jo Harman perform these tracks live. --- bluesdoodles.wordpress.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto solidfiles global-files

back