| I'm a Mountain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 15, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | July 2005 | |||
| Genre | Singer-songwriter | |||
| Length | 40:31 | |||
| Label | Cold Snap Records | |||
| Producer | Sarah Harmer, Martin Kinack, Gavin Brown | |||
| Sarah Harmer chronology | ||||
| ||||
I'm a Mountain is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2005. She received three Juno Award nominations for her work on the album.
Unlike her two previous albums, You Were Here and All of Our Names , I'm a Mountain is an acoustic folk and bluegrass album, for the most part. The instrumentation on the album consists mainly of acoustic guitars, double basses, fiddles, mandolins, and percussion. The entire album was completed in one week. Harmer noted this was due to most of the material having been previously worked out during her latest tour. Harmer stated in a Billboard magazine interview: "There's nothing like confidence when you [are] in the studio. We were feeling really good." No single was released and the complete album was shipped to radio stations playing music in Americana, bluegrass and folk formats. [1]
Some of the songs were written as early as 1998 and others just prior to recording. All the songs but two were recorded live in the studio. Two songs on the album, "Oleander" and "Goin' Out", feature Harmer's father Clem on backing vocals. [2]
Harmer grew up near the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario, and learning of the threat of development there, she began to raise awareness about the situation. The song "Escarpment Blues" was written to present Harmer's concern over its future. [3]
The album was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize, a jury-selected $20,000 cash prize for the Canadian album of the year. In February 2007, Harmer received three Juno Award nominations at the Juno Awards of 2007. I'm a Mountain was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD Escarpment Blues for Best Music DVD. Harmer herself was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues".
It would be five years before Harmer's next release.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Billboard | (no rating) [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [5] |
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic noted the traditional tone of I'm a Mountain and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from Lynyrd Skynyrd-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent. Harmer's lyrics also show this versatility." She also writes "Harmer occasionally falls victim to the folksinger's greatest vice, the overextended metaphor, but for the most part her lyrics are direct and personal without being too sentimental, and her melodies are tuneful and catchy but not too predictable... it is Harmer's voice that her fans want to listen to, and I'm a Mountain delivers that perfectly." [3]
Billboard magazine's review singled out several songs, writing "Harmer's ongoing personal discovery has been a joy through these past few years, and with this latest turn is no different." [4]
Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, specifically praising Harmer's cover of Dolly Parton's "Will He Be Waiting for Me", writing: "The soothing lo-fi-ness of Sarah Harmer's folk-country tunes, and her warm crystal-clear vocals... offer a lovely respite." [5]
All tracks written by Harmer except as noted.
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.
All of Our Names is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released as a single with "Almost" reaching the top 20 on Canadian pop charts. A different version of the track "Silver Road", recorded with The Tragically Hip and for the soundtrack for the film Men with Brooms had been previously released as a single in 2003.
Songs for Clem is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter by Sarah Harmer, credited to Harmer and Jason Euringer, and released in 1999.
One Moment More is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Mindy Smith.
Rhinestone is the soundtrack album from the 1984 film of the same name starring Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone. It was released on June 18, 1984 by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Mike Post and Parton. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 135 on the Billboard 200. The Dolly Parton-composed soundtrack produced two top ten singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: "Tennessee Homesick Blues" and "God Won't Get You", which peaked at numbers one and ten, respectively.
The Best of Dolly Parton is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 9, 1970, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It includes some of Parton's early hits, a few non-single album tracks, and two previously unreleased tracks. The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The single, "Mule Skinner Blues " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earned Parton a nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on June 12, 1978, for sales of 500,000 copies.
In the Good Old Days is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 3, 1969, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's title track was the only single released and it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The Grass Is Blue is the thirty-seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 26, 1999, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and "Travelin' Prayer" was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Hungry Again is the thirty-fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Decca Records and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton and her cousin, Richie Owens. It is seen as a predecessor to Parton's critically acclaimed bluegrass trilogy, The Grass Is Blue, Little Sparrow, and Halos & Horns.
Little Sparrow is the thirty-eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and "Shine" won Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album is dedicated to Parton's father, Lee Parton, who died in November 2000.
Halos & Horns is the thirty-ninth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on July 9, 2002, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. It is the third album in Parton's critically acclaimed bluegrass trilogy, continuing her experimentation with folk and bluegrass sounds. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2003, while "Dagger Through the Heart" and "I'm Gone" were both nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Parton embarked on her first tour in 10 years in support of the album. The sold-out Halos & Horns Tour played 25 shows throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. The album tracks "These Old Bones" and "Sugar Hill" were adapted into episodes of Dolly Parton's Heartstrings in 2019.
For God and Country is the fortieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 11, 2003, by Welk Music Group and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton with Kent Wells and Tony Smith. It is considered Parton's musical attempt to deal with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Included are covers of famous patriotic songs and new Parton originals. The album is perhaps best remembered for its cover photo, depicting Parton posing as though appearing in a vintage USO poster.
Heartsongs: Live from Home is a live album by Dolly Parton, released on September 27, 1994. Recorded at a concert at Parton's theme park Dollywood, the album featured a mix of Parton originals and traditional folk songs. "To Daddy" was one of Parton's compositions that she had never previously released; Emmylou Harris, who recorded the song in 1978, took her recording of the song to the U.S. country singles top three). The campy "PMS Blues" went on to become a concert favorite, and received a fair amount of airplay as an album track. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh sang Irish vocals on "Barbara Allen".
Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.
Escarpment Blues is a Canadian concert and documentary film starring singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer. Directed by Andy Keen and produced by Keen, Harmer, Bryan Bean and Patrick Sambrook, it was released theatrically in 2006.
Those Were the Days is the forty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 11, 2005, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. The album is a collection of covers of 1960s and 1970s folk and pop songs performed in a bluegrass style, some featuring the artists who originally recorded them. Parton supported the album with The Vintage Tour from August through December 2005.
Live and Well is a live album by Dolly Parton, released on September 14, 2004. It was recorded during her 2002 Halos & Horns Tour, her first in years; the performances on December 12 and 13, 2002 were used. A DVD of the concert was released simultaneously with the album.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two is a 1989 album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The album follows the same concept as the band's 1972 album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, which featured guest performances from many notable country music stars.
Backwoods Barbie is the forty-second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Dolly Records. The album was Parton's first mainstream country album in nearly a decade and marked the first release on Parton's own label. Parton embarked on the Backwoods Barbie Tour with 64 dates across North America and Europe from March through November 2008 to support the album.
Oh Little Fire is the fifth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize-nominated I'm a Mountain. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums Chart and #24 on the US Heatseekers Chart.