J R Harbidge Announces New Album and Releases Its First Single and Video from the new album

15th January 2021 0 By Jon Deaux

Hailing from Cannock in the UK, J.R. HARBRIDGE is a talented, multi-instrumentalist and master musician. His brand-new album ‘Long Black River’ is due to drop on 30^th April, 2021 whilst its debut single ‘Wrong Side of the Fight’ drops on 15^th January.

As Rawramp’s Neil Mach puts it: “If you fancy the idea of a no-frills Eagles-style country-rock outing (smooth but muscular) with elements of folk, country, and captivating Americana, performed with silver-dollar forthrightness and dazzling virtuous musicality… you should take a chance on ‘Long Black River’ issued this Spring by the solo recitalist and virtuoso dreamer: J.R.HARBIDGE.”

“‘Long Black River’,” says Neil Mach is “a splendid musical-artistic achievement that James modestly describes as: ‘acoustic rock with some country twang.’ He has been mentally preparing for this album for much of his creative life. For example: the album title (and lead song) ‘Long Black River’ references a nametag that a bassist in his school band (Crazy Jane) once hatched.”

“It’s a song that started life when we were fifteen and got completed when I turned forty-one,” says J R , with a smile, ““I remember having that music on a 4-track X28H multi-track recorder as a teenager and I have spent years trying to get a melody for it.

“That song waited until 2020 to disclose its undeclared magic. Songwriting is a mysterious process, isn’t it?”

Speaking of ‘Long Black River’, J R admits, “This album was both a joy and a chore at the same time. I loved writing and recording the songs, I loved getting some fantastic musicians playing on the album and I loved collaborating with a new collaborator on one of the songs. I also loved getting loads of my FB and Instagram friends to sing on the ‘yob chorus’ at the end of side-by-side: all great experiences!

“What I didn’t like was losing most of the album after I had almost finished it! I lost 80% of the recorded audio thanks to a PC mishap. This meant I had to start recording all over again, but I have to say the songs turned out a lot better than the first recordings, making it a blessing in disguise, though it’s heart attack-inducing when you realize you have lost 6 months’ work.

“The album is a collection of melody and Americana I’m very proud of. The songs on the album are a mix of deep reflection with a sprinkling of joy, truth and fiction.

“This video was my first attempt at a real DIY video. My hand was forced by lockdown. It’s clean simple, Straight to camera: No frills.”