Review: J.R. Harbidge – ‘Long Black River’

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With a tip of the hat in appreciation to early 1970’s Laurel Canyon residents such as Jackson Browne, and the Eagles, Cannock-based singer-songwriter J.R. Harbidge returns with his sophomore album ‘Long Black River’ and leaves the listener chilling with a peaceful easy feeling washing over them.

Opener ‘Wrong Side of The Fight’ kicks the album off at an easy pace, with Pete Larkin creating a blissful atmosphere with a subtle organ sound mixed with some simple piano fills, and Harbidge builds on this with a gentle strumming guitar tone, and warm vocals. This continues on ‘Break the Spell’ which has a slight Mark Knopfler tinge to the guitar tones; although it is more akin to his immense solo material than his work with Dire Straits. Larkin again delivers a show-stealing performance with his earthy, rich organ sound. Quite an underrated instrument is the good old organ, but when it is called upon, it certainly makes an impression.

In places, ‘We Don’t Talk About It’ sparks memories of Pink Floyd with David Gilmour taking the lead vocals. That same feeling of floating that Gilmour’s vocals can sometimes inspire, in this case, the gorgeous string arrangements from Luke Moller help to lift the listener up onto the nearest cloud and whisk them away. One of the standout moments on the album, and a track that gets better with each listen. ‘Sunshine Not Rain’ ambles along in a vein similar to ‘The Weight’ by The Band and the lyrics, that deal with parenthood, should strike a chord with many. The latter stages of the album throw out some great surprises and highlight the different aspects to Harbidge’s sound; ‘You Saved Me Twice’ is a beautiful Country-tinged track, complete with a stunning “Tele Twang” from guest-guitarist Nick Clark, while ‘We Don’t Like It’ ups the tempo with more of a bluesier vibe and no doubt will be the moment to have the crowd moving the most once live gigs return.

Ending on the emotional title track, complete with a stunning solo from guest-guitarist Paul Scott Connop, ‘Long Black River’ is ten tracks of multi-layered Americana, with heartfelt lyrics, smooth playing from some incredible players, and a few surprises thrown in to knock the listener off their guard just as they are getting comfortable.

Pick up ‘Long Black River’, here.