Corey Harris
Daily Bread

For some reason, there are a lot of Coreys in my life lately. The guy who recently moved into my house, the girl who started dating a close friend, the six-foot man on my club team, the single-serving friend on my flight to Los Angeles—all named Corey. Now, aside from their names, none of these people have anything in common at all. If anything, it is remarkable that I’ve met such a wide assortment of Coreys. It’s as if, through some odd twist of fate, four people of completely different physical builds, economic backgrounds, and current professions were named Corey and somehow introduced to me in a strange coincidence allowing me to describe most aptly the nature of Corey Harris’ music.

Corey Harris is quite remarkable in that he’s trying to fuse together all different sorts of music. Be it gospel, reggae, soul, spoken word, or rock, Harris grabs all these seemingly disparate genres and meshes it all into a distinctly unique album only comparable to the mother’s day presents that first-graders make for their mommies. The intention is good, but result can only render a reply of “It’s the thought that counts.” Songs like “Got To Be a Better Way” and “Bush is Burning” make me realize the unique, cosmic connection between all music genres by, somehow establishing a link between ska and soul; but, no matter how inventive Harris is, I cannot ignore the sacrifices he makes in sound to achieve this fusion of styles. That is, Harris has to use his voice in really unnatural ways. In “A Nickel and A Nail,” Harris stretches his voice out in a croon that is so thin and high that I was tempted to revoke my friendships with all people by the name of Corey. “Sweetest Fruit,” not only presents this cat-like wailing, but also couples it with very forced roots syntax in an attempt to evoke more of that reggae feel. If all the Coreys in my life were locked in a room and forced to talk with one another about politics, music and drugs, “Daily Bread” might perhaps be the soundtrack to their awkward silences, pointless bickering, and brief moments of compromise. – Natalie Tsu