With the kind of rootsy charm normally reserved for summer campfires and folk festivals, Sarah Harmer has managed to capture a wonderfully organic feeling in the grooves of I'm a Mountain, her third solo effort to date. Inspired by Harmer's Kingston country abode, much of this collection--which reflects her love of bluegrass music--brings forth the same earthiness as Michelle Shocked's heralded debut, The Texas Campfire Tapes. In Harmer's case, however, this is far from a solo effort; the acoustic jam--recorded over a week in a Toronto studio--is awash in gorgeous instrumentation. From stand-up bass and fierce finger picking (courtesy of Harmer and guitarist Joey Wright) to bluesman Willie P. Bennett's harmonica and Luther Wright's banjo licks, this disc is less "unplugged" and more "mightily picked" in tone. Harmer's relaxed voice and positive lyrics on tracks like "I Am Aglow," "The Ring," and "The Phoenix" can bring a sense of calm to even the most ruffled listener. A noteworthy highlight is "Escarpment Blues," a song that Harmer originally released as a single earlier this year. The sparse, yet lyrically-poignant track was first put out to raise money and awareness to help save an area of land near Harmer's home, known as the Niagara Escarpment. If you love Dolly's The Grass Is Blue (Harmer lovingly covers Parton's "Will He Be Waiting"), the aforementioned Shocked, or the rootsy intimacy of Gillian Welch, this disc will be a perfect addition to the folk section of your music library. --Denise Sheppard
