Jamie Harrison - Red Under the Carpet

  by Andy Cassidy

published: 29 / 11 / 2011

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Review

'Get Under the Carpet' is the second album from Bristol jazz/folk artist Jamie Harrison and follows on neatly from his 2010 debut album 'The Struck World'. The first thing that struck me about the CD was the packaging. The disc comes in a parchment-style envelope sealed with red wax. I loved the idea of this, and I was reluctant to open the package as I didn’t want to ruin the effect. Finally, though, I put visual aesthetics aside and used a letter opener to open it along the top, thereby leaving the wax seal intact. Despite my initial misgivings about opening the album, one listen was enough for me to realise that I had made the right decision. The album bursts into life with opening track 'Sam’s Song' (not the Bing and Gary Crosby duet). The track begins with some exuberant studio banter followed by a raucous drum-beat and harmonica. A gentle jazz guitar provides the opening for second track, 'We’ve Got Love'. When the track reaches the refrain, it sounds like a lost Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band track with accordian and brass accompanying relaxed chorus vocals and syncopated guitar. The Bonzo-esque arrangements are prevalent throughout the album, most notably on the traditional Northumberland anthem 'Dance to your Daddy' and the jaunty 'The Violent Time'. 'Last Rag for Standing Back Up' has the feel of a Beach Boys instrumental from circa 1970, with fantastic instrumentation featuring harmonica, trombone and saxophone all merging beautifully over a sumptuous guitar and piano lead track. The solo guitar and double bass on 'Andromeda' illustrate just how good a musician Harrison is, and the interplay between him and bass player Sam Buckley is almost telepathic. 'Andromeda' and 'Autumn Leaves' are close to straight jazz, with Autumn Leaves in particular showcasing Harrison’s gift for composition as well as his technical ability. The album closes with the fabulous 'Never Let Me Go', which features terrific lyrics and great guitar work. The track sounds like a collaboration between Damon Albarn and Jacques Brel, with a lazy vocal gently ambling along over the guitar backing track. This is a terrifically inventive album, bursting with creativity and humour. The arrangements are superb, with just the right balance of complexity and space and Harrison’s vocals are relaxed and hugely effective. His voice suits the material perfectly, and, while he is perhaps not a classically perfect singer, he connects with the songs effortlessly. Now, don’t tell my wife, but I’m going to buy another copy so that I can keep it sealed!

Track Listing:-

1 Sam's Song
2 We've Got Love
3 Dance to Your Daddy
4 Last Rag for Standing Back Up
5 The Dog
6 The Bear
7 Andromeda
8 The Violent Time
9 Autumn Leaves
10 Hold the Night
11 Never Let Me Go

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/jamieharrison
http://jamieharrisonmusic.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/jamieharr
https://plus.google.com/10329011279582
https://www.instagram.com/jamieharriso

Label Links:-

http://www.reddeerclub.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/reddeerclub
https://twitter.com/reddeerclub
http://www.last.fm/user/Reddeerclub
https://vimeo.com/channels/reddeerclub