D. Braxton Harris – Deep Dark Black
The solo debut of D. Braxton Harris from Alabama band the Quinsonics is an intentionally quiet record, far removed from the urgent pacings that ran throughout Cowboy Angel, his band’s last record. Harris presents his latest songs in a sparse, slow texture informed by influences ranging from Richard Buckner to Freakwater.
While Deep Dark Black is a thoughtful effort, it suffers at times from a lack of a unique voice. Harris’ regard for Buckner veers awfully close to mimicry of his vocal phrasings on songs such as “Fan” and “Under The Shade Tree”. But the answer to Harris’ problems arrives by the end of the disc: The last three songs — “Deep Dark Black”, “Scarlet Red” and “Fallen House” — exhibit a homestyle flavor with a back-porch looseness that thoroughly succeeds.
Terri McGinn from Vulcan’s Britches, an old-time country band that plays in Harris’ neck of the woods, accompanies him on fiddle and vocal harmonies with wonderful results. The Southern drawl of these songs is perfectly at home with the minimalist production.