Sarah Harmer

Harmer intones in the same slow-down trailer park fashion as Lucinda Williams, and with a voice this good, there's no reason in the world to hurry. While on leave from her band Weeping Tile, Harmer recorded a solo album (Songs for Clem) in 1998. Nothing more than a handmade Christmas gift for her father, the tapes got into the right hands, and Harmer was encouraged to release a follow-up. You Were Here arrived shortly thereafter. A rustic, watercolor landscape of sleepwalking guitars and light-jazz swoons, the record is a study in homespun simplicity and grace. Harmer's intimate lyrics steer clear of worn-out Singer-Songwriter tropes, offering fresh insights into what connects people to the land and how this effects their connections with each other. There's just enough earthy grit and determination in Harmer's voice to endear her to the folk community, but there's also the right amount of breathy sensuality to keep the windows of your imagination thoroughly steamed up.