Customer Reviews

Harbinger

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Saturn Girl" is still a hit waiting to happen, and this is an excellent, unusually nuanced and marvelously sung record that occupies its own unique artistic space. Cole has made a truly great album (this one), a good one ("This Fire") and a regrettable one ("Amen") but she hasn't yet made her masterpiece. So, onward!

Paula Cole's debut, "Harbinger" is a little known album that reaches the core of her music. The soulful ballads that are present on this album are some of the most candid and revealing songs in pop music. Supported with Cole's haunting voice, the songs of "Harbinger" resonate through the mind and weasel their way into the subconscious. The simplistic beauty of "Ordinary", along with the minimalist style of "Chiaroscuro" add to the complexity and depth of Cole's music. She is completely unprecidented and unlike any other artist. Original melodies and incredible music lend themselves to create the masterpiece that is "Harbinger". If you love songs like "Me" from her album, "This Fire", you will love this album. "Harbinger" is true to its name, in that it is a warning to stand back and accept the inevitable success of Cole's talent and mystique.

Singer/songwriter Paula Cole comes from the same school of passionate music that Tori Amos & Sarah McLachlan do, and Paula can certainly hold her own against her sisters in torchsong. Her debut album from 1994, "Harbinger," is an excellent album, showing off Paula's emotional voice and songwriting that would later make her a star with her acclaimed follow-up, "This Fire." "Harbinger" has such great songs as "Happy Home," "Watch The Woman's Hands," the great rock of "Chiaroscuro," the dark "Black Boots," the beautiful "Dear Gertrude," and the political bent of "Hitler's Brothers." Paula Cole's confessional songs may not be for everybody, but overall, "Harbinger" is a solid debut disc for this very-talented artist.

_Harbinger_ is an honest and passionate album, with a bare-boned intensity. Paula Cole expresses the angst of being *different,* overlooked, underappreciated. Each song contains within it a little world that captures a particular essence or quality of some moment of existence where you realize what it means to grow up. Paula Cole acknowledges the little sacrifices, the major and petty disappointments. Overall, this is quite a satisfying album.

"Saturn Girl" is still a hit waiting to happen, and this is an excellent, unusually nuanced and marvelously sung record that occupies its own unique artistic space. Cole has made a truly great album (this one), a good one ("This Fire") and a regrettable one ("Amen") but she hasn't yet made her masterpiece. So, onward!

I've been a fan of Paula Cole since I was 13, and that was 8 years ago. After listening to all three albums (Harbinger, This Fire, and Amen) for a gazillions time, I come to a conclusion that Harbinger is definitely Paula Cole at her best. This Fire is also very strong, but the sound engineer does not do a very good job in that one (especially in Tiger, with all the overload distortions). I admit that I probably listened to This Fire more than Harbinger (and far more than Amen), but musically wise, Harbinger is the one which I think has the most emotional and artistical values. Harbinger tracks are full of unexplainable emotions, like Hitler's Brother, Black Boots, etc. There's a certain higher level of abstractness in Harbinger than This Fire, which is a little more commercialized.
There is something about Harbinger that sounds very outdated, yet fresh everytime you hear it. Musically, Harbinger packs with a lot of interesting sounds. The whistle in Hitler's Brother gets to me everytime, and the clapping, beatboxes, etc. really do show how talented Paula Cole is. She is not just a singer with a unique voice, she's also a great composer, a virtuoso, and a groundbreaker.
It is hard to recommend this album to someone who only listen to mainstream music, because Harbinger is definitely not mainstream. Some people prefer the crispness in a record, but this is not the case. Harbinger has a very distinctive sound, it is very grey-toned and a little strange. Nevertheless, it is a kind of music that you will appreciate once you've become accustomed to. Buy it.. there's a certain CD in which everyone MUST try to listen to at least once, and Harbinger/This Fire is one of those CDs which you either hate, like, or absolutely obsess with.

Do not worry that Paula Cole's musical genre won't fit yours, my preference in music is that of Progressive House, Break Beats, Drum'n'Bass, Future Jazz, Trip-Hop, Industrial Ambience (i.e. Biosphere) but still I think Paula Cole is amazing. Her music is the kind of music that penetrates all kind of genres.

This album is so wonderful. She has this awesome spark that she lacks on the latter albums. If you want to hear Paula Cole at her best, you should definitely check this album out.

This CD really shows you that Paula Cole is much more than the few popular songs that you hear on the radio. Her punkier, stronger side really makes this CD what it is: amazing! If you're not sure if you like Paula Cole from what you commonly heear, get this CD and see her whole other side.

I was fortunate enough to see paula cole open for sarah mclachlan in atlanta's fox theatre. This was long before she had made the bigtime. This album was her only body of work at the time and the minute we left the theatre i had to buy this cd. Her voice reached to the lofty heights, sending chills through my body. I dare say her performance came close to outdoing sarah mclachlan's. The songs are so unappreciated, and I felt were ignored when this fire came out. I think this album gets overlooked alot and I think it overshadows in my opinion all of her work since. It is a wonderful album. I highly recommend it.

This woman is an amazing artist - her music will send chills down your spine. She is an incredible vocalist and storyteller - you almost can't really listen to her music without being moved on some level. Highly recommended. Don't miss it.