Barbra Bailey Bradley: Harp-Felt

Barbra Bailey Bradley’s 2006 release “Harp-Felt” is for the harpist lovers out there. The record starts out with “The Lakes of Pantchartrain.” It is an elegantly done song that I’m sure will be the feel of the rest of the record as well. All harp music has this royal vibe to it and you can hear that throughout with Barbra’s music. “Sonata for Harp, 2006 Mov’t II” has a nursery rhyme appeal to it. It sounds like a lullaby done on a grander scale in a way. That tone changes with “Chester Variations.” With this one I felt like it wasn’t like the rest that came before it. It sounds kind of like something out of a Victorian horror movie – if that’s a genre that exists. If not, then this song just created it. Barbra then takes on a classic, literally with some Bach as she does “Invention No. 1 in C.” When people do covers like this you can’t help but think of the pressure the artist was under to endure a song with so much history and substance. We get back to the lullaby feel with “Simple Gifts.” We end things with “Nostalgia.” What was great about this one is that it didn’t have a light and airy feeling like the rest. There were a lot of elements to this record that it would be hard to pinpoint them all without writing an essay. So the best summary of this would be that it has a lot of, again, elegance, as well as some covers and moments of differentiation. If you’re a fan of classical music, especially the harp – then check out Barbra Bailey Bradley’s “Harp-Felt,” out now. (https://www.beeharp.com/)