Hayley Rose Harrington -- Starting Over

Hayley Rose Harrington broke off an engagement, losing her band and apartment in the process. This album, Starting Over, is accordingly sparse — just Harrington’s weary voice, a gently-picked guitar, and a ghostly fiddle.

Harrington’s got a refreshing honesty to her music. In parts self-effacing, in others sharply critical of those who have done her wrong, there’s a sense that Harrington is willing to see her own shortcomings even in the midst of pain. Starting Over feels like it was recorded in a bedroom, perhaps even surrounded by half-empty boxes. Yet there is also a warmth here: a determination to make the best of a shitty situation and that the time to stop the self-pity and pick yourself up will happen any day now.

By the time we reach the album’s conclusion, we find Harrington at a state of peace. “People Keep Letting Me Down” runs like a classic blues song, aggrieved but resigned. “I Got Time,” with its jaunty fiddle line is an anthem of coming home to one’s self. “I Dug a Hole” closes out the album, resurrecting Harrington’s long-buried queer identity. This is a slow-moving album, one that revels in Harrington’s power to take control of the narrative. It’s langorous, like a lion stretching after a long nap — a power within that is slowly waking up.

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