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ROLLING STONE
3 1/2 stars! -- Jesse Harris writes pensive and catchy pop songs the way some people dash off grocery lists. But on the three albums he has released since his tune "Don't Know Why" became Norah Jones' introductory smash, he's struggled to deliver them convincingly. He's squandered sturdy material on overwrought singing, or by awkwardly pumping slight songs into rock anthems. No such trouble is evident on Mineral, a collection of musings on relationships that is easily Harris' best work. Here the guitarist-songwriter seeks stark simplicity: Helped by drummer Kenny Wollesen and organist Larry Goldings, Harris cultivates a daydreamy atmosphere that lingers from one song to the next. There's little electric guitar, and the transparency of the sound totally changes the way Harris sings -- it softens his sometimes strident vocal tone and encourages him to phrase in shrugs rather than declarative shouts. A few minutes with sullen future standards such as "Slow Down" and "Somewhere Down the Road," and it becomes clear that this spaciousness is the X factor Harris' songs have been missing. (TOM MOON)
HARP MAGAZINE
Sans band – and Norah Jones – Harris shines. Jesse Harris' five previous albums with his band, the Ferdinandos, have been distinguished by their unique juxtaposition of pop, folk and jazz. His ability to incorporate genre elements into his singular style must have weighed heavily in his collaboration with Norah Jones; Harris played and composed on Jones' debut, including Grammy winner "Don't Know Why." For Mineral, his first album sans band, Harris strips down to just himself on acoustic guitar and longtime drummer Kenny Wollesen and keyboard vet Larry Goldings as accompanists. In this sparse but quietly powerful setting, Harris' already intimate and evocative songs exhibit even more personal ambience, particularly on the laconic "This Is Goodbye," the joyfully muted "Nothing's Been Lost" and the piercingly melancholic "No More." Harris' two baroque pop instrumentals and his overall skill at less-is-more arrangement are proof of lessons learned well from his work with Van Dyke Parks on 2003's While the Music Lasts. Mineral is a low-tech, hi-fi gem.
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