by: Sun-J
His sound is that of a Tom Waits meets Badly Drawn Boy. A mix of U2, and Frank Sinatra. A blend of country and teen pop, especially pop. His damn songs are so catchy; they're still stuck in my head one week later. Fresh off a Mercury award nominating CD, Here Be Monsters, Harcourt returns with a fresh new sound and a bit of experimentation with and album aptly titled From Every Sphere because it truly does seem as if Harcourt is trying to hit us from all angles with every possible instrument out there a man can play. From the piano rich ballads, "Watching the Sun Come Up," and "Bittersweet," to the jazz inspired music, "Undertaker," and to the experimental, electronic created sounds of "Ghostwriter," Harcourt does his best to display his versatility, yet there are points where he should have just stuck to his old formula, catchy songs followed by sad songs, and alternating over the period of an album. Songs such as "Sister Renee," (about an ill-man who falls in love with his nurse) where Harcourt develops a character personality display his musical genius.
"Metaphorically Yours," and "The Birds will Sing for Us" are filled with Harcourt's suave charm and easy going, harmonious sounds.
This album is no Mercury nominating piece of work, but then again you can't blame him, the greatness of Here be Monsters was a tall order to follow, nonetheless, you know an album like From Every Sphere is good when you can't get the damn lyrics out of your head!
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