2018 –Mark Harrison /
Highway Records
By Phillip Smith;
Oct. 6, 2018
I
absolutely adored Mark Harrison’s 2016 album, Turpentine. His latest
release, The Panoramic View, described
by Harrison himself as his magnum opus, now takes precedence. The UK-based roots artist is one of the best
songwriters around, and I especially take notice when this man tackles the Blues
with a nostalgic story-telling approach. With Harrison performing on National
and 12-string guitars, the rest of the band consists of Charles Benfield
on double bass, Ben Welburn on drums/percussion, Paddy Milner on
piano, Paul Tkachenko on tuba, trombone, trumpet, and mandolin, and Ed
Hopwood on harmonica. For a fascinating
and unique twist, Harrison enlists Scottish television personality Gail
Porter to provide a spoken word introduction prior to each song.
I love
the sound of the National on “House Full of Children”. It sounds go great paired with the horns on
this upbeat homage to Detroit bluesman Eddie ‘Guitar’ Burns. Harrison takes a deep look inside the
words of Son House as he describes the meaning of life, and the Blues in
“What Son House Said”. His performance
is delicate and endearing. Harrison
sings about life after death in “Meet on the Other Side”, a splendid country
blues spiritual. A timeless melody and a
subject matter everyone has experienced is the heart of “Mess is Everywhere”. With timely blurts from his tuba, Tkachenko
keeps the song moving along its tracks.
While on the subject of tracks, “John the Chinaman” honors the railroad Chinese
immigrant laborers who made up the majority of the transcontinental railways workforce
in the 1850’s. Harrison’s bright finger work
on guitar keeps a locomotive pace on this delightful blues ditty.
From
beginning to end, The Panoramic View
is an exquisite listen. Harrison’s
declaration of this being his magnum opus, certainly stands true.
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Link to PhillyCheeze Rock & Blues Review of Mark Harrison's Turpentine album:
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/09/mark-harrison-turpentine.html
https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/09/mark-harrison-turpentine.html
