Australian artist Tim Hart wooed us sufficiently with the stunning 'I'd Do Well'
We've said it before and we'll say it again, our favourite thing about Folklore is when we're going through the submissions in our inbox and something pops up that particularly makes us wilt. This week that comes from the timeless sound of Tim Hart with a track from his 2018 album The Narrow Corner.
Ok, so clearly we're a little late to the party but we're delighted to now be a part of the journey and to dig into more of Hart's work. In doing so, we came to learn that there's quite a back catalogue of musical endeavours to discover...
When he's not releasing records under his own name he's also the drummer and backing vocalist for Indie-Folk Rock band Boy & Bear who have seen huge success in their native Australia in particular with three top ten albums and five (!) ARIA Music Awards. Not too shabby, eh? Not one to rest on his laurels, Hart has gone on to release three of his own solo records and that's what we're really here to talk about... So let's dig in.
Hart playing the drums with the sticks possibly the wrong way around. We're sure he knows a lot more than we do though.
Hart lists Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and current folk artists Fionn Regan and Sam Amidon as musical inspirations and upon listening to I'd Do Well for the first time it was clear to hear those influences coming through. However, the art of a great songwriter is to truly make their work their own, and for that there is no doubting Hart's ability to truly tell his own story and in his own tone. One of the first artists that came to our mind upon listening was Elliot Smith, with a similar vocal timbre and a similar vulnerability in his vocal accents and melody. There's even an air of the dramatic that tilts towards Rob Dougan. That vulnerability can only come from a place of the stories authenticity however as there's nothing he would need to be concerned with when it comes to lyrical content - Which to us, is the true shining gem of this track.
It’s in the way he writes his stories
It’s in the power and the glory
It is an ever-tolling warning
Id do well now to heed
I’d do well to keep my distance
I’d do well to stop and listen
Starting with an acoustic guitar strumming a few chords it's a song that elegantly drifts into a chorus with electric guitar and drums accompanying. Understated in it's production, it's exactly what the song needs and is another sign of any excellent songwriters chops, purely serving the song and nothing else. The song comes in at less than three minutes and gives it an almost poetic feel, the song is in no rush to reach it's destination yet is equally short and sophisticated in it's approach.
Tim Hart might be Australian but our minds eye takes us somewhere more northern when listening. Eyes closed in the back of the car whilst being driven up the mountain road, giving us a feeling of reflective musing. It's a place I like being and I hope that Tim Hart continues to take us there...
Tim's most recent release is this years Winning Hand, you can hear the albums opening track right here;
Learn more and follow Tim Hart:
Written by @jacko_hooper
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