Spotlight Album Review: Jaimee Harris "Boomerang Town"
JAIMEE HARRIS – BOOMERANG TOWN
I first heard Jaimee Harris’s voice on the livestream that Eliza Gilkyson arranged for the Jimmy LaFave tribute concert in Austin six years ago. Wow, I thought, who is that? A year ago, we became acquainted when she accompanied her partner Mary Gauthier in a session at WFUV. With the release of her beautiful sophomore album, Boomerang Town, I feel I’ve really gotten to know her through its deep and personal songs.
Boomerang Town was produced by Mark Hallman, Eliza’s frequent producer, and was recorded in Austin, where Jaimee lived for many years before decamping to Nashville, where she lives now with Mary. The title track is a long mid-tempo narrative that echoes her life story growing up feeling trapped in a small town outside Waco, TX (“As for me, the only dream I’ve ever had/Is gettin’ out of this boomerang town”). The second track, “Sam’s,” is a dark and brooding song, underscored by cellos, where the protagonist recalls life long ago at a biker bar.
That’s followed by “How Could You be Gone,” co-written by Jaimee and Mary (and also included on Mary’s album, Dark Enough to See the Stars), which tells of a friend’s funeral, of which there have been so many (including Jimmy’s), both before and during the pandemic. It starts at a deliberate pace and then builds, like a funeral procession, with David Mansfield’s violin, Sammy Powell’s piano, and backing vocals by Bettysoo and Kris Nelson, adding to the aching intensity. Completing a quartet of brilliant tracks that open the album is “Fair and Dark Haired Lad,” which sounds like uptempo Fairport Convention, with Mark on electric guitar, Michele Gazich on violin, and Dirk Powell on accordion. The “lad” turns out be the seductive, insidious demon drink, which Jaimee has spent many years, like Mary, recovering from:
I look in the mirror, I see him there
Bloodshot eyes and a vacant stare
He took everything I ever had
The fair and dark haired lad
Other highlights of Boomerang Town include a couple of acoustic gems which feature just Jaimee and multi-instrumentalist Mark Halloran (on guitar, bass, piano, Hammond, and accordion). One is “Good Morning, My Love,” a love song with an undercurrent of anxiety, and the other,“Fall (Devin’s Song),” the poignant story of a young man whose death prevents his graduation day:
That morning, when you left us
We had no time to say goodbye
Our hearts are forever broken
Lord, please kiss him and hold our angel tight
The final two songs offer hope despite sorrow: “Love is Gonna Come Again” for someone who’s lost a lover (“Joy will find its way to you, maybe it’ll come with the morning dew, right where those flowers grew/Butterflies flew, and on their wings they always bring the kind of peace to ease your grieving”); and “Missing Someone,” an upbeat rocker with full band, featuring Andre Moran on slide guitar, which ranks with the best of Bonnie Raitt. Jaimee’s empathetic lyrics and heartfelt vocals make this album a major artistic statement. She’s definitely someone you should get to know.
photo by BarbaraFG