Kyle Harvey
Anywhere But Here
Slo Fidelity
In a bookstore stairwell conversation a couple of years ago, I confessed to Kyle Harvey that I was intimidated by poetry, especially readings. I respect him as a prolific writer, and didn’t want to insult poets who brave a spoken word event to read their own work. I need to sit with poetry and read it slowly, as if it’s a foreign language. His thoughtful response told me volumes — that it’s ok not to fully understand what the writer means, but to interpret on your own and take away something completely different if that suits you.
Harvey’s latest release, Anywhere But Here, is a gorgeous collection of poetry set to sparse arrangements that don’t get in the way. The quality of the recording is pristine. It’s a man with a guitar, microphone, and his own words. Nothing is complicated here, which is refreshing. The tone is confessional without being too plaintive. Harvey’s vocal range shines throughout, but it is especially noticed on “I Hope You Find Your Gold,” a song written for his daughter, although the listener could put this in any heartfelt letter to any loved one going through life’s challenges. It’s particularly poignant when heard from the father-to-daughter point of view.
I hear so much of his influence, from Elliot Smith to Dylan, in these tracks. Harvey doesn’t imitate anyone, but brings his own minimalist touch to tracks like “A Poem in Your Hair,” rich with imagery without anything superfluous. For Western Colorado locals, “Glade Park” will hit home. The song is a perfect nod to the places just outside of where we live, where we long to live or just hang out for the day, above the grid, outside the noise of a growing small city, nostalgic for the way the elements affected us, before thermostats made everything the same comfortable temperature.
Hearing “The Book of James” live is a treat. I was on my sixth listen of the album when this one rose to my top three. Hearing the artist preface the song with a personal story of his bartender days is something anyone who’s worked in service can relate to. The characters who show up at noon to drink, the lonely and wistful, with embellished tales of love and loss, all pool so well in this track. Tom Waits would be proud of the storytelling here.
Radio loves a hook, and hearing from a few hosts who are featuring the album, the favorites are all over the place. I can’t pinpoint a particularly “hooky” song, but in this case, it doesn’t matter. Every track will reach a heart that needs to hear it. Every line will find a home, even if it is miles from what the writer intended. There’s nothing intimidating about the songs on Anywhere But Here. It’s a vulnerable, transparent collection of poetry delivered in chord structure, voice, and strings that anyone with a heart can understand. Sit with the words, enjoy the quiet luxury of “he’s in my living room” production, and look forward, as I do, to more of this.
