Oh Little Fire
Encyclopedia
Oh Little Fire is the fifth album by Canadian
singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer
, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize
-nominated I'm a Mountain
. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums
Chart and #24 on the US Heatseekers Chart.
, Neko Case
, Blue Rodeo
, The Weakerthans
, and Great Big Sea
.
Recorded in a Toronto warehouse and part recorded in a house on Lake Ontario's Wolfe Island, Harmer says the home recording gave some of the songs "a different, kind of country feel." Harmer played much of the album's instrumentation herself.
Guest musicians on the album include Neko Case
, Julie Fader
and James Shaw of the band Metric
.
Harmer was nominated in four categories for the 2011 Juno Award
s.
It was released in the U.S. on Zoë Records
.
Michael Joyce of The Washington Post
praised the album, writing "...she's still capable of coming up with poetic musings perfectly suited to her wistful soprano, as the minor-key ballad "New Loneliness" illustrates. (A cover of "Silverado," a soulful duet with Neko Case, is even better.) But this time Harmer casually asserts her pop passions with songs that bounce, spin and charm. More often than not, the best of them boast lyrics that are succinct and disarming... Perhaps best of all, "Oh Little Fire" is likely to wear well, adding a vibrant pop pulse to Harmer's concerts for years to come."
musicOMH
gave the albums 4 of 5 stars and wrote "Oh Little Fire is a perfectly packaged container for pop gems, and Harmer falls right in place in the midst of such a sugar-sweet and swooning backdrop. Oh Little Fire is an unexpected turn in Sarah Harmer's musical progression, to be sure. But as such, it blindsides the listener with its carefully crafted and deftly executed sense of melody and meaning."
Paste
magazine was less enthusiastic and called it "a collection of poppy tracks that earns its title—failing to ignite any blazing passions, these songs instead evoke the familiar warmth of a smoldering campfire." and noted that "one of the prevailing characteristics of these eleven songs is that they mostly lack a distinctive style, erring instead toward the kind of spiceless pleasantness that would make Harmer’s music easy to slip into pop-country radio rotation. The real treasures here are her lyrics, in which she confronts such themes as regret and self-absorption with a maturity that sets her apart from the rest of the “accessible” crowd." In their Indieclick review, Coke Machine Glow was also unenthusiastic, and while praising the recorded sound, called it "the latest in a drawn-out series of diminished returns... Those still holding out hope for a full-on return to form a long five years since I’m a Mountain seemingly set it in motion, no such luck: in repeating many of the same pros and cons of her last two albums, Oh Little Fire is another pleasant collection of very okay folk, country, and radio rock. It’s actually pretty good for an album that appears to aim for nothing more and nothing less, but…well, that I can’t think of a better compliment pretty much sums it up."
iTunes
-only bonus tracks
Production notes:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label...
-nominated I'm a Mountain
I'm a Mountain
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic 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-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent...
. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
Chart and #24 on the US Heatseekers Chart.
History
In the five years prior to Oh Little Fire Harmer was involved with environmental activism and guest appearances on albums of Bruce CockburnBruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
, Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
, Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...
, The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
, and Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
.
Recorded in a Toronto warehouse and part recorded in a house on Lake Ontario's Wolfe Island, Harmer says the home recording gave some of the songs "a different, kind of country feel." Harmer played much of the album's instrumentation herself.
Guest musicians on the album include Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
, Julie Fader
Julie Fader
Julie Fader is a Canadian musician, songwriter and visual artist, best known as a keyboard player and backing vocalist for Sarah Harmer, Chad VanGaalen and Great Lake Swimmers...
and James Shaw of the band Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Harmer was nominated in four categories for the 2011 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s.
It was released in the U.S. on Zoë Records
Zoë Records
Zoë Records is an independent record label in the United States. It is a part of the Rounder Records group.Zoë predominantly distributes albums by folk rock and alternative pop artists...
.
Reception
Music critic James Christopher, writing for Allmusic wrote: "Harmer's winning blend of country, folk, and indie pop is propelled, in part, by her even, expressive tenor... Likable and accessible, it would be easy to write her off as just another capable singer/songwriter in an industry stuffed to the rafters with capable singer/songwriters, were it not for her ability to take a simple melody and turn it into something special. Oh Little Fire is filled with those moments... It’s a subtle record to be sure, but one that rewards those who are willing to take the time to let it enter the bloodstream."Michael Joyce of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
praised the album, writing "...she's still capable of coming up with poetic musings perfectly suited to her wistful soprano, as the minor-key ballad "New Loneliness" illustrates. (A cover of "Silverado," a soulful duet with Neko Case, is even better.) But this time Harmer casually asserts her pop passions with songs that bounce, spin and charm. More often than not, the best of them boast lyrics that are succinct and disarming... Perhaps best of all, "Oh Little Fire" is likely to wear well, adding a vibrant pop pulse to Harmer's concerts for years to come."
musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
gave the albums 4 of 5 stars and wrote "Oh Little Fire is a perfectly packaged container for pop gems, and Harmer falls right in place in the midst of such a sugar-sweet and swooning backdrop. Oh Little Fire is an unexpected turn in Sarah Harmer's musical progression, to be sure. But as such, it blindsides the listener with its carefully crafted and deftly executed sense of melody and meaning."
Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazine was less enthusiastic and called it "a collection of poppy tracks that earns its title—failing to ignite any blazing passions, these songs instead evoke the familiar warmth of a smoldering campfire." and noted that "one of the prevailing characteristics of these eleven songs is that they mostly lack a distinctive style, erring instead toward the kind of spiceless pleasantness that would make Harmer’s music easy to slip into pop-country radio rotation. The real treasures here are her lyrics, in which she confronts such themes as regret and self-absorption with a maturity that sets her apart from the rest of the “accessible” crowd." In their Indieclick review, Coke Machine Glow was also unenthusiastic, and while praising the recorded sound, called it "the latest in a drawn-out series of diminished returns... Those still holding out hope for a full-on return to form a long five years since I’m a Mountain seemingly set it in motion, no such luck: in repeating many of the same pros and cons of her last two albums, Oh Little Fire is another pleasant collection of very okay folk, country, and radio rock. It’s actually pretty good for an album that appears to aim for nothing more and nothing less, but…well, that I can’t think of a better compliment pretty much sums it up."
Track listing
All songs written by Sarah Harmer, except as noted.- "The Thief" – 3:25
- "Captive" – 2:33
- "New Loneliness" – 3:14
- "One Match" – 3:12
- "Careless" – 3:55
- "Washington" – 3:46
- "Late Bloomer" – 4:09
- "The City" – 2:30
- "Silverado" (Trevor Henderson) – 2:41
- "The Marble in Your Eye" – 2:43
- "It Will Sail" – 1:59
iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
-only bonus tracks
- "New Loneliness (Acoustic Version)"
- "The City (Acoustic Version)"
- "Our Dark Clouds"
Personnel
- Sarah HarmerSarah HarmerSarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
– vocals, drums, guitar, Mellotron, organ, Wurlitzer - Gavin BrownGavin Brown (musician)Gavin "Golden" Brown is a multi-platinum, multi-Juno Award-winning Canadian record producer, songwriter, and musician.Brown is based in Toronto, Canada and Los Angeles, California. Having worked with a variety of acts, Gavin is best known for both his ability to develop and break young artists,...
– drums, ruitar, Mellotron, piano, tambourine, Wurlitzer - Kieran Adams – drums, drum fills, percussion
- Bryden Baird – trumpet
- Chris Brown – clavinet, organ
- Burke Carroll – pedal steel
- Neko CaseNeko CaseNeko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
– vocals - Steve Donald – trombone
- Dean Drouillard – guitar
- Spencer Evans – clarinet
- Julie FaderJulie FaderJulie Fader is a Canadian musician, songwriter and visual artist, best known as a keyboard player and backing vocalist for Sarah Harmer, Chad VanGaalen and Great Lake Swimmers...
– harmony vocals - Kevin Fox – cello
- Trevor Henderson – lap Steel Guitar
- Paul Mathew – double bass
- Marc Rogers – bass, double bass
- Jimmy Shaw – guitar, vocal harmony
- Perry White – clarinet
Production notes:
- Sarah Harmer – producer
- Gavin Brown – producer, engineer
- Virginia Clark – photography
- Lenny DeRose – engineer, mixing
- Noah Mintz – mastering
- Dave Mohacis – engineer
- Jud Haynes – art direction, layout