Sherri Harding – Storyland
Of late, I’ve received surprisingly good LPs. More than usual. This artist from Ottawa, Canada is essentially a soul singer with dabs of old school R&B. Sherri Harding is a female vocalist blessed by horns that are tempered by the Muscle Shoals Horns from Alabama. Imagine it. A female power vocalist with an expressive tone surrounded by their blaring, colorful horns dipped in the margins of the Big Bands. That’s engaging.
The opener “All Around The World” has this. Then there’s “Down In the Shoals” — even more soulful with a stirring lead guitar that stabs the air around Sherri’s self-assured vocals. Sherri (vocals/flute/bgv) isn’t as raw as Janis Joplin, energetic as Genya Ravan (Ten Wheel Drive) & Lydia Pense (Cold Blood), or aggressive as Candy Givens (Zephyr “Sail On”), but what a nice originality to her set.
There are 11 tunes squeezed into Storyland (Drops June 5/Instant Replay/Dog Tired Music/Fontana North/Universal/40:46), produced by Richard Cooper & recorded pristinely in Canada & Alabama. It has a rich Muscle Shoals sound with Kelvin Holly (a Muscle Shoals guitarist), who graces some tracks. A nice contrast of Southern soul & Canadian storytelling.
Several songs are typical of the efforts by The Meters, Tower of Power & the aforementioned bands above. But what’s cognizant of the genre is how Sherri applies her impeccable vocal brassiness. There’s a delicate fluidity in her music. It’s not only recreated but reimagined. Instead of exploring the more pop-oriented variety of the genre, Sherri leads the band down a jazzier R&B path. “Bad Weather” features strings in a skillful, jazzy setting framed by backup singers with soulful reiterations. Lead guitar notes flow mellifluously & sparkle. Sherri’s phrasing is ideal – almost as convincing as Peggy Lee (“Why Don’t You Do Right”) & she possesses a propulsively persuasive Big Band-Swing singer’s sense of rhythm in “What’s The Matter With My Heart.” Benny Goodman would’ve smiled.
With “Tell Me You’re Mine,” Sherri’s more commercial, mainstream & easy-listening. Sounding almost like the late Eva Cassidy. With “Don’t Push (On An Open Door),” she applies some Janis Joplin muscle of “Kozmic Blues.” Not as aggressive, but with that spirit. A wonderfully expressive & varied album.
Highlights – “All Around The World,” “Down In the Shoals,” “Bad Weather,” “What’s The Matter With My Heart,” “Tell Me You’re Mine,” & “Don’t Push (On An Open Door).”
CD cover image by Melanie Arbour. Color image courtesy of Sherri’s website. An 8pp stitched lyric insert is included. CD @ https://sherriharding.com/ & https://www.markpuccimedia.com/?p=4961
Musicians – Jeff Rogers (vocal/keys/organ/bgv), Robert Farrell & Darwin Demers (guitars/bgv), Clayton Connell (keys/organ), Brian Cooper (bass), Jamie Holmes & Rob Holtz (drums/percussion/bgv), Charles Rose (trombone/arrangements), Steve Herrman (trumpet), Jimmy Bowland (baritone sax), Brad Guin (tenor sax) with Anne Lindsay (violin/string arrangements), Nancy Kershaw (violin 2), Claudio vena (viola), Amahl Arulanadam (cello) & Brian Cooper, DeeDee Butters, Mackenzie Di Millo & Roxy Swan (bgv).
Video Premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2026/03/10/video-premiere-sherri-harding-money-man/