''I'm a Mountain'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.
Early life
Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sis ...
, released in 2005. She received three
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
nominations for her work on the album.
History
Unlike her two previous albums, ''
You Were Here
''You Were Here'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2000.
Background
''You Were Here'' was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in Canada after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile. The album's ...
'' and ''
All of Our Names
''All of Our Names'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the '' Billboard'' Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released ...
'', ''I'm a Mountain'' is an acoustic
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
bluegrass album, for the most part. The instrumentation on the album consists mainly of acoustic guitars, double basses, fiddles, mandolins, and percussion. The entire album was completed in one week. Harmer noted this was due to most of the material having been previously worked out during her latest tour. Harmer stated in a ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine interview: "There's nothing like confidence when you
rein the studio. We were feeling really good." No single was released and the complete album was shipped to radio stations playing music in Americana, bluegrass and folk formats.
Some of the songs were written as early as 1998 and others just prior to recording. All the songs but two were recorded live in the studio. Two songs on the album, "Oleander" and "Goin' Out", feature Harmer's father Clem on backing vocals.
Harmer grew up near the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario, and learning of the threat of development there, she began to raise awareness about the situation. The song "Escarpment Blues" was written to present Harmer's concern over its future.
The album was nominated for the
2006 Polaris Music Prize, a jury-selected $20,000 cash prize for the Canadian album of the year. In February 2007, Harmer received three
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
nominations at the
Juno Awards of 2007
The Juno Awards of 2007 were hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on the weekend ending 1 April 2007. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada during most of 2006. The event was well known for a possible tape delay by t ...
. ''I'm a Mountain'' was nominated for
Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD ''Escarpment Blues'' for
Best Music DVD. Harmer herself was nominated for
Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues".
It would be five years before Harmer's next release.
Reception
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noted the traditional tone of ''I'm a Mountain'' and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent. Harmer's lyrics also show this versatility." She also writes "Harmer occasionally falls victim to the folksinger's greatest vice, the overextended metaphor, but for the most part her lyrics are direct and personal without being too sentimental, and her melodies are tuneful and catchy but not too predictable... it is Harmer's voice that her fans want to listen to, and I'm a Mountain delivers that perfectly."
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's review singled out several songs, writing "Harmer's ongoing personal discovery has been a joy through these past few years, and with this latest turn is no different."
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave the album a B+ rating, specifically praising Harmer's
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
's "Will He Be Waiting for Me", writing: "The soothing lo-fi-ness of Sarah Harmer's folk-country tunes, and her warm crystal-clear vocals... offer a lovely respite."
Track listing
All tracks written by Harmer except as noted.
# "The Ring" – 3:09
# "I am Aglow" – 2:44
# "Oleander" – 3:28
# "I'm a Mountain" – 3:09
# "Goin' Out" – 4:56
# "Will He be Waiting for Me" (
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
) – 3:36
# "Escarpment Blues" – 4:01
# "The Phoenix" – 3:55
# "Salamandre" (
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
,
Kate Fenner
Kate Fenner is a Canadian musician, currently based in New York City. The ''New York Times'' describes her vocal stylings as having a "lusty, alternative, Joni Mitchell-ish sound." She was one of the primary singers and songwriters for the Canad ...
) – 2:37
# "Luther's Got the Blues" (
Luther Wright) – 3:50
# "How Deep in the Valley" – 5:07
Personnel
*
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.
Early life
Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sis ...
– vocals, guitar
*Chris Bartos – fiddle
*
Willie P. Bennett
William Patrick "Willie P." Bennett (26 October 1951 – 15 February 2008) was a Canadian folk music, folk-music singer-songwriter, harmonica player, and mandolinist. Bennett was part of the 1970s folk music scene in Canada, and wrote and recorded ...
– harmonica
*Luther Wright – banjo, harmonica, harmony vocals
*Dan Curtis – guitar
*
John Dinsmore – bass
*
Jason Euringer
Jason Euringer is a Canadian musician.
A guitarist/vocalist and bass player, he frequently appears on recordings by artists in the Kingston, Ontario scene, including Weeping Tile, Sarah Harmer and Luther Wright and the Wrongs. Harmer's 1999 alb ...
– harmony vocals, upright bass
*Spencer Evans – clarinet, piano, accordion
*Dean Stone – percussion
*Clem Harmer – harmony vocals
Production
*Produced by Sarah Harmer, Martin Kinack and Gavin Brown
*Mixed by Denis Tougas and Martin Kinack
*Engineered by Denis Tougas and Martin Kinack
*Mastered by Joao Carvalho
References
{{Authority control
2005 albums
Sarah Harmer albums