Search - Chris Harford :: Band of Changes

New Jersey Boy Does Good

Frank S Branda | New Jersey | 06/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Harford is a musician's musician, a songwriter's songwriter. He's the guy the bands want to see at the local bar. He's well respected by his peers and is often seen onstage with Ween and has worked with musicians such as Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright, and Mark Mulcahy. On Band of Changes, Harford presents his two styles of music on two separate discs. The first is loaded with melodic, soft music that drives to the soul. The second picks up the pace with a harder edge sound that often just rocks. Harford has always struck me as a musician who just couldn't make up his mind whether to plug in and turn up the amps, or strip down and play acoustic. With Band of Changes, he lets the listener decide.It will be a true shame if Chris Harford forever remains a "could-of should-of" kind of artist. He was given a chance with Arista, and put together a simply wonderful album chock full of guest musicians, but slumping sales (probably due to lack of marketing, as is often the case) caused Harford's major label career to be saddly shortened. Do yourself a favor and try this record. You won't be dissapointed."

Strength in Numbers

slickmoniker | New York, NY United States | 12/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The simple truth is that the previous review is exactly on point: Chris Harford is both a singer-songwriter in the Bob Dylan/Cat Stevens tradition and a guitarist's guitarist in the long line descended from Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana. And both aspects are amply in evidence on this double CD. Other than the Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground years, no performer immediately comes to mind as having so successfully created meaningful and original lyrics that are complemented by an equally unique and powerful musicianship. If you were wondering whether it's true that mainstream music is now as insipid as it is pervasive, and that real creativity is almost wholly the province of the independents, this album may help settle the matter.So while the combination of the excellence of this album and the travesty that is its relative obscurity compel me to write something here, the prior reviewer said what needs to be said, and I at best can just second his remarks. And perhaps point your attention to two of the greatest songs in the history of rock that you will rarely if ever hear on the radio, "I'm in Love with this World" and "Lonesome", both on the second disk."