New York singer and songwriter Jesse Harris was a success before anyone really knew who he was — the sort of mixed-blessing that comes with penning a Grammy-winning song for someone else’s album.
That someone else, in this case, was Norah Jones, and the song was “I Don’t Know Why”. But Harris was no newcomer. He and his band, the Ferdinandos, had already paid dues on the East Village club scene and released three albums of mellow, jazzy pop songs before Harris’ Grammy win landed them a record deal.
The Ferdinandos are missing on Mineral, which marks Harris’ recorded debut in a trio setting. It’s simpler than his previous efforts, more spare in its sound and spacious in its arrangements. He collaborates here with Larry Goldings on keyboards and Kenny Wollesen on drums, all three settling into a deep musical pocket. Harris sticks to acoustic guitar throughout, while Goldings alternates between piano, Hammond organ and ethereal Wurlitzer.
The songs are slow and stately, like watching a hazy sunset from the veranda as a languid breeze blows, though “No Way Out” shakes its rhythmic hips, and ghostly vibraphone floats just below the surface on the instrumental “Karass”.
Harris sings in a clear tenor, and though his voice is a bit too clean for the traditional blues number “Corrina Corrina”, he sounds appropriately comforting on “Nothing’s Been Lost” and sorrowful on the drowsy “This Is Goodbye”.
