Harrington easily joins top tiered Singer/Songwriters with the performance of his new Single “Over the Mountain”, but seems intent with his musical composition to get one foot on a more commercial-savvy platform – ripe for Christmas. Hence the single effectively blends a solid beat in the background, coupled with traditional Caribbean-styled keyboarding and an electric guitar. Harrington’s vocals are soft and carry a slight Calabasas lilt to them, without sacrificing any other worldly integrity to the song.
Nathan Harrington sings, Walk the righteous path, no hesitation. And you’ll find the truth to your salvation…I never forget to love each day, love to all give love to all and we shall conquer pain. So begins his new single Over the Mountain, now available on Spotify and with a music video in the works for release on December 16.
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Harrington doesn’t dillydally in clawing his way to a bit of catharsis on the other side of the chorus hook, but I’d stop short of saying that his urgency segues into rushing at any point in this song or its live music video. He’s very deliberate in his execution, modulating his voice with the guitar as to make every word he sings all the more powerful. When he belts out the chorus’ lines, his heart is in ours, while the refrain expands upon the sentiments of the narrative here like few other sonic interludes ever could have.
The chorus line packs the biggest punch, with the ever-evocative Over the mountain, there’s a city – where love reigns and darkness falls in line. Harrington communicates ruminations on spirituality, purity, and positivity while genuinely profound often finding themselves in less able hands slipping towards maudlin drivel. But Harrington keeps such timeless ideas and convictions fresh through fantastical analogies and the deceptive nature of the music.
Whether indie or affiliated with a major label, artists who ultimately succeed and endure in the Hollywood market often get the so-called ‘Hollywood treatment’. Many artists regardless of personal opinion are changed by this treatment, what makes their music unique or original quickly becoming cookie-cluttered and another cog in the standard musical entertainment machine. By beating such critics to the punch, Harrington hopefully can maintain his own identity in a commercial-savvy sense, one of his winning cards being the subtle manipulation between his too-cool-for-school hippie persona and his carefully articulated, emotionally touching lyrics on the pathway to a kinder, better world.
Harrington described his music in an interview somewhat holistically, stating he wished to help listeners ‘heal’ through what he had to offer. In a time when division in the country has never been greater, it’s refreshing to hear a rising artist express such sentiments without it feeling hackneyed or cliched, but rather uncommonly real.
Over the Mountain (SINGLE) by Nathan Harrington is just want this critic needed and is an amazing pace of music that is a perfect positive bookend to an overall negative year.
Troy Johnston