Product Description
ERIN HARPE - LET THE MERMAIDS FLIRT WITH ME
RELEASE DATE 10.24.2025. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
ERIN HARPE
Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me
VizzTone
Singer and guitarist Erin Harpe grew up in the Washington, DC, area, the daughter of a musician and musical historian. She became enamored of the Piedmont finger picking style of guitar playing made famous by so many denizens of the area; think Blind Blake, Josh White, Rev. Gary Davis, and John Cephas. She has released a slew of albums since her debut release in 2002, in collaboration with her husband, bassist Jim Countryman. Now a resident of the Boston area, she is a recipient of both Boston and New England Music Awards.
Harpe maintains a career as both leader of a blues (and an Afro-Pop!) band, and as a blues duo with Countryman. Her new album finds her in the latter mode, in a tribute to the late, legendary country blues icon Mississippi John Hurt. Born in 1893, Hurt was self-taught on guitar. He recorded in 1928, then led an private life as a sharecropper before being rediscovered in 1963. His untimely death ensued only three years later, but his music has endured and been covered widely.
Of the ten songs on this album, Harpe has chosen several that are well known, and a few more obscure. The opener, probably Hurt’s most famous tune, “Candy Man,” reveals the ample strengths of the entire release. Harpe’s finger picking is intricate and evocative; her soprano vocalizing is enticing; and Countryman’s steady bass is supportive without being intrusive. Among the other tracks that will be instantly recognizable to blues lovers are “Casey Jones” (with some nifty train sounds), “Richland Woman,” “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor,” “Frankie [And Johnny],” and “Stagolee.”
Kudos are due to the production values of this album. Both the vocals and instrumentation are pristinely clean. Every guitar note can be heard distinctly, allowing full appreciation of Harpe’s guitar artistry. This album conveys the gentle vibe of Hurt in the hands of skilled Erin Harpe. Mid-way through the set, Harpe covers the number “Got The Blues (Can’t Be Satisfied).” Well, she sure satisfied me.
– Dan Stevens