Nostalgia is a pretty powerful force. In times of uncertainty people like to fall back on tried-and-true parts of their past when things seemed so-much-simpler and more defined. Music is an especially-large part of the nostalgia that drives us all; how the first few Star Wars films can help us relive the easiest, most-innocent parts of our childhood, or how the 1995 Tribe lineup harkens to the pre-internet and anti-social media rants that seem to dominate our current daily news cycles.
How much more nostalgic is the music and voice of Karen Carpenter? When I was young, my mom would pull out the Christmas decorations in early December and my sister and I would attack the musty box of ornaments and mantel decorations with zeal. But it wasn’t truly Christmas until my mom dug out her 8-track copy of The Carpenters Christmas and Karen’s willowy alto flowed through our hi-fi’s walnut cabinet speakers.
I don’t believe in reincarnation, but I wonder if a voice can come back from the dead and inhabit another body? If so, you’d find that in Harriet, a three-syllable moniker attached to a British songstress. She’s channeling an uncanny…and I do mean uncanny…dead-on “version” of Ms. Carpenter’s long-silenced voice. It isn’t an impersonation; she’s been gifted with a talent that really replicates that same willowy alto voice.
Playing to a crowd at the University of Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall on Friday night, Harriet is wrapping up her first American tour. Like for any new artist, it was a smallish crowd; but the attendees were devoted to her covers of many staples of the ’70s and the Yacht Rock genre. Offering a few Carpenters’ tunes, “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, and even “The Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, the evening’s performance was a throwback to an earlier time. While the late ’70s definitely had its fair share of post-Watergate and Viet Nam era cynicism, none of that was on display to the attendees who lived through that era.
The stage, decorated like a mid-1970s living room, complete with burnt orange throw pillows, she was flanked by a guitar player and keys. It was a simple presentation that let her voice shine.
Harriet is an artist of which to keep a watchful eye; she’s cut two albums of original material and even a Christmas EP. After the show, it seemed that about 90% of the attendees were in her merch line, eager to meet the singer. I can’t remember a merch line that’s stretched as far as this one.
Truly a rainbow connection.
