JAMES HARRIES (GREAT BRITAIN)
THE GOLDEN VOICE OF THE GOLDEN ERA OF SONGWRITING
A BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITER WHO CALLS PRAGUE HOME
Born in Manchester, he performs all over the world, but his home is in Prague. Those who know him are aware that he sings slightly melancholic songs with a plaintive voice, which often fade into a stunned silence among audiences deeply affected by an almost inappropriate dose of emotion.
Many compare James’s music to the very best of what came before him from artists like Nick Drake, Damien Rice, or Jeff Buckley. Rolling Stone magazine even dubbed him "the golden voice."
He belongs to the kind of singer-songwriters who deserve praise for being able to perform even the most instrumentally and musically elaborate album live with just an acoustic guitar. That’s also the case with James’s latest brilliant album, Hiraeth.
Speaking about the album’s unusual title, James explained: “The Welsh word hiraeth combines a deep longing for home with a hint of nostalgia. It doesn’t have a direct translation, but to me, it feels like that home might not even be real. That’s the kind of feeling the chaos around Brexit and the isolation during the pandemic brought up in me. As if I didn’t belong anywhere in the world, and the word ‘home’ just confused me.”
Photo: Marek Musil
