Top tracks: "Widowbird," "When the Circus Leaves Town," "Put Out the Questions"
Formerly of Mosaic, Nashville's Harlow continues in that group's folk/acoustic pop/Americana tradition, while evoking classic songwriters from yesteryear. Though the disc covers a few everyday subjects (marriage, brokenness), she offers clever observations on the ordinary. With her gloriously earthy vocals and understated but often poignant instrumentation, Harlow goes out on a limb on several occasions—the scars of South African apartheid on "Cain" and the story of a foreigner who feels like a second-class citizen in "Nohemy," all while balancing feelings of hope with empathy.
Twenty years ago, Republicans, Democrats, evangelicals, gay activists, and African leaders joined forces to combat AIDS. Will their legacy survive today’s partisanship?