Devon raised, former BIMM student and still Brighton resident, Jo Harman continues to be a bona fide independent artist, carving out a career as a singer and songwriter, and trading in classic soul, blues, rock and gospel.
Mostly recorded in Nashville (with the help of some top-notch musicians, plus a few vocal and guitar overdubs here on the south coast), Harman has always been a classicist at heart, an unashamed lover of the classic rock and pop heyday of the 60s and 70s. An incredibly powerful and passionate singer who counts Aretha Franklin and Carol King amongst her inspirations, she continues to hook up with writers such as Mamas Gun’s Andy Platts and Terry Lewis, and her long-time co-writer Mike Davies, in carving out heartfelt vignettes of love, hope, forgiveness and regret, straddling hard rock and balladry and all points in-between. And while her previous album Dirt On My Tongue was a more sombre, DIY affair, People We Become sees her fully maturing into a class act, aided by the aforementioned musicians and writers, and a growing confidence as a writer, performer and, most importantly as a singer. One who has gained high praise from many esteemed quarters for her expressive, lucid, and supremely soulful voice.
Moreover, she's doing it pretty much on her own terms. Rather than chasing the corporate dollar, she seems to be happy in ensuring she retains complete creative control over her creations. Fully immersed in the creative processes from beginning to end, Harman is most definitely (and defiantly) her own woman.
Kicking off with a filtered and distant radio voice in a gospel vocal, a monster blues-rock riff and hard-hitting drums kick off 'No One Left To Blame', a song that sums up the intent of Harman; looking back in looking forward: "Forget where we came from / Just look where we're going”, she sings. And at the other end of the musical spectrum there’s the gentleness of the piano-led ‘Silhouettes of You’ which gradually builds and builds into an epic lovelorn tale of breaking up and loneliness, before fading out in peaceful ripples.
These two tracks, which begin the ten track CD version of the album (the vinyl version omits ‘Unchanged and Alone’ and ‘Person of Interest’) represent the bookends, the range of Harman’s impressively eclectic repertoire, while the rest of the People We Become explore the ranges in-between. Such as the soulful balladry of ‘Lend Me Your Love’, that slowly morphs into a large ensemble of euphoria. Keys, guitars, gospel backing vocals and horns all tastefully adding to the overall picture, one that resonates with hope and love. ‘Unchanged and Alone’ continues the knack she has for knocking out memorable melodies, and here there is a particularly contemporary sheen allied to the classicism of the writing and sound, while ‘Changing of the Guard’ has that rolling, carefree groove that Carole King perfected, Tapestry-era.
‘The Reformation’ is the second big blues-rock banger, a call to arms as it were, with Mike Davies providing the meaty riffs, while recent single, the nostalgic ‘When We Were Young’ has a driving funk rhythm before turning into a soul stomper, aided by the distinctive baritone of The Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald on backing vocals.
It's been a long old slog to get to this point, but People We Become could be the album that tips her over into the mainstream. Epic in feel, and passionately earnest, this may be largely unadulterated adult orientated rock, but all the songs here represent down-to-earth, lovingly expressed sentiments we can all easily relate to. It could be the key to unlocking future success.
Jeff Hemmings
Website: joharman.com
Facebook: facebook.com/joharmanofficial
Twitter: twitter.com/jo_harman