:: Jesse Harris - Watching The Sky

Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris’ new album Watching The Sky is in one word fun and it’s all thanks to the six-string banjo he plays like a guitar in all his songs. Grammy award winner and songwriter for such celebs as Norah Jones, Jesse Harris puts some incredible feeling and magic into what is essentially a simple and cheerful album. Sticking to what he knows, jazz with a Southern American flavour and sweet folk tunes, Harris manages to produce song after song that is different from the last but tied together with a laid back and infectiously calming melody that makes for very easy listening. ‘What You Wanted’ is the perfect example of the album’s soothing vibe. A myriad of music instruments, from marimba to electric guitar, are beautifully layered over each other to produce a song that makes you want to learn the samba. ‘Fool’s Paradise’ is another stress-free, slow-paced song that ambles through French horns and banjo before weaving itself around Harris’ very cool and composed storytelling vocals. But the track that truly rises above the rest is ‘I Think You’re Hiding Something’. All about, as the name suggest, lovers hiding things from one another, this song is like old horror film, piling tension onto tension with deep bass tones and plinking xylophones to produce what is a tiny masterpiece. Watching The Sky is more of that unruffled, desert-island music that’s been made famous by Jack Johnson and James Blunt. In his new album, Harris keeps to his trademark singing style and heartfelt lyrics but also adds colour and depth with the sheer number of unusual instruments he includes, not to mention that famous six-string banjo. All together the sound is fresh and clean, a perfect album for a lazy Sunday afternoon on the couch.