KIM & REGGIE HARRIS
Resurrection Day
Appleseed
As I noted in a feature story I wrote for Sing Out! magazine
(“Kim and Reggie Harris: Building Bridges,” Summer 2007), I’ve long been
inspired by Kim and Reggie Harris – by their moving work as recording and
performing artists and by the deep commitment they have as activists who use
their art to help make ours a better society.
As they note in the booklet to Resurrection Day, much of this album was inspired by Reggie’s 13-year battle
with an autoimmune disease – a battle he almost lost but overcame thanks to a
liver transplant in 2008.
Reggie sings about his battle with the disease most explicitly
in the contemplative title song. It’s not a religious resurrection he sings
about – however much faith may have played a role in his recovery – it is literally
a physical resurgence after “a long, long journey” filled with “pain so deep”
he questioned, “Will I get over? Can I get over?” The questions are answered in
the chorus, “Hallelujah! A new day is here/You’ve got a new race to run/Resurrection
day, resurrection day.”
Several of the album’s other songs – both Reggie’s originals
and material drawn from tradition or from other writers – allude metaphorically
to moving forward in life and love. In Phil Ochs’ “Do What I Have to Do,” the
narrator pledges to do what he has to do, to be what he has to be despite
whatever obstacles might stand in his way. In “Here and Now With You,” a
gentle, Brazilian-styled love song dedicated to Kim, Reggie sings about love
supplying the force needed to overcome trial and distance. And in “It’s All
About Love,” they sing about the combination of faith, trust and dedication
which add up to love.
Among the album’s most poignant songs are “When Mom Left Us
Here,” an expression of feelings at the loss of a parent, Matthew Jones’ “Tree
of Life,” sung beautifully by Kim with gorgeous harmonies by a circle of
friends recorded at the Old Songs Festival, and "Traffic," a topical song about slavery in our contemporary world.
Other highlights include the depression-era classic, “Hallelujah,
I’m a Bum,” updated with a new last verse and rollicking zydeco arrangement to
give it a contemporary feel, and the inspirational “Butterfly,” co-written by
Reggie and producer Ken Whiteley, who sings it with them. (Kim and Reggie sang
on Ken’s version of the song on his 2010 album, Another Day’s Journey.)
And, in this year of marking the centennial of Woody Guthrie’s
birth, they end the album with “Roll On Woody,” a tribute to that most iconic
of folksingers and songwriters.
As with all of Kim and Reggie’s albums, their voices
frequently intertwine and support each other in glorious harmonies. Also, as
with all of Kim and Reggie’s albums, they inspire with a message that we are
all important and vital parts of a world that is so much bigger than any of us.
--Mike Regenstreif
I concur 100% and might add...this album is Grammy worthy! I have the CD and hadn't read the booklet inside but felt the title song "Resurrection Day" was a personal testimony of sorts...with Reggie's emotions woven into every lyric and musical note!(especially that acoustic guitar)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to admit, when I hear Kim's voice start singin' "Straighten 'Em", I start smiling, 'cause I know she's gonna start identifying who's in the lineup to "straighten out"!
Way to go Kim and Reggie!
And btw, great blog post Mike!