:: Mick Hart - Finding Home

Mick Hart

Picture this. You’ve just performed your set at the Byron Bay music festival and Ben Harper invites you to an after party. Surely that’s enough to get any musician excited right? Now imagine you’re at that party and Ben Harper approaches you and says he liked your music and thinks you’d be a hit in France. What would you do? Naturally you’d thank him for the compliment and move to France as quickly as possible. As unlikely as that situation may seem, that is exactly what happened to Mick Hart. So his latest release, aptly titled ‘Finding Home’, comes to Australia via Lille, France. 'Finding Home’ is a stripped back acoustic presentation, and perfectly captures the singer/songwriter ethos. Hart’s voice is heartfelt and weary, and sits very much at home with the gentle twang of a steel guitar. This sentiment is no better represented than in the track ‘I’m Going’. It is a gentle and beautiful ballad that has a magnificent layer of harmonica to really bring it home. ‘Smile’ and ‘Seasons’ are an up-tempo departure from the sombre and delicate ballads, and make for a nice change of pace. The natural ebb and flow of the album only helps you to further appreciate the talent that is shown here. ‘Ballad of a Broken Man’ is so reminiscent of a young Ben Harper in the intro that you could be forgiven for thinking it actually is. It’s clear that Harper has been a big influence on Hart, but this does not make his music any less enjoyable, or exclude you from respecting his individuality. Hart’s voice is unique, unlike any other, and this is his edge. ‘Finding Home’ is a wonderful album, and I can only hope that Hart finds his way back to Australia soon. Something tells me it would be a gig not to be missed.