[.ca] All of Our Names

From Amazon.com:
Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer's 2000 debut, You Were Here, was justifiably lauded and it made her a star in her homeland, racking up platinum sales. Four years later she's brought forth an equally engaging set of 11 finely honed songs. After the friendly mid-tempo opener and its tale of roaming the countryside in winter, she fearlessly kicks up the decibel meter with the smartly propulsive "Almost," presenting a lustful crush with appropriate passion and the wallop of a rocker. Throughout it all, Harmer has a gifted eye for the small details that give human scale and resilience to the lyrics. The sense of place evoked is unmistakably linked to her home in Ontario's Quaker Valley, and perhaps not surprisingly, All of Our Names was recorded primarily at her rural abode. The album has all the breadth and depth of a work created in a big-city studio, but it also exudes a warmth and intimacy that can be attributed to the care and comfort afforded by the setting. --David Greenberger

Sarah fans rejoice!:
This is an amazing album!!! I first caught wind of it on cbc 'in session' and just fell in love with the peotic lyrics. Support our Canadian artists! Don't download this album, just buy it!

Discovered wonderful music:
Gets some time getting used to her style, but afterwards, you'll wonder how you ever listened to something else - everything else sounds like noise to me now

loverly:
First two songs are especially great. Several others send me away as well. Well worth obtaining, if only to pick your favorites and move on. Some reviews claim that this cd isn't as good as her first, but really, what they aren't seeing is that she has refined her art, and made it something more. It's certainly more mainstream, and that's not supposed to be a bad thing, necessarily, and it's certainly not here. I like her sophomore effort so much mored than her debut. With the first, you tend to think "diamond in the rough". With the second, you see (hear) some faceting and real sparkle. A definite must-have.

An intimate ride:
This is some really beautiful stuff and priceless. Worth far more than the fifteen bucks you will fork over at the record store. You Were Here had these really unique melodies over some very tasteful instrumentation and I thought that I wanted more of the same, but like any good artist, Harmer's work is progressing further and becoming better and I feel that her best is yet to come.

A Staple in Anyone's Music Collection:
"All of Our Names" is a bit slower overall than the last record, but still packs Harmer's tight, creative songwriting. Each song is its own world, filled with Harmer's great use of lyrical metaphors. "Pendulums" is one of my favorite songs, along with "Silver Road." I was not disappointed with this album at all. I think loyal fans will definitely like this one, and newer fans will be intrigued by Harmer's voice and wonder at how such a goregous album can be made in one's own laundry room.

• Pendulums
• Almost
• Greeting Card Aisle
• New Enemy
• Silver Road
• Dandelions in Bullet Holes
• Things to Forget
• Came on Lion
• Took It All
• Tether
• Go to Sleep