Jo Harrop: “The Path Of A Tear” (2024) CD Review

I got turned onto vocalist Jo Harrop a couple of years ago because a copy of Leonard Cohen’s Book Of Longing is visible in the photo on the cover of her album The Heart Wants. That’s what initially drew my interest to that disc. What held my interest was her incredible voice, along with her songwriting talent (I suppose one had better be a damn good songwriter to risk making listeners think of Leonard Cohen). Now on her new album, The Path Of A Tear, she covers a Leonard Cohen song, choosing one from You Want It Darker, which came out just a couple of weeks before Cohen’s death. It is one of three covers on the album. Most of the material, as was the case with The Heart Wants, is original, co-written by Jo Harrop. Joining the vocalist on this release are Anthony Wilson on guitar, Victor Indrizzo on drums and percussion, Jim Cox on piano and organ, and David Piltch on bass.

The album opens with an original number, “Beautiful Fools,” which Jo Harrop wrote with Ian Barter. Jo Harrop’s voice is smooth and deep at the start, putting us at ease immediately. I love how sweet she sounds as she sings, “To all the fools who rush in, never thinking/Of all of the consequences, still live in dreams on a ship that is sinking.” These lines also stand out to me: “Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose/Living life every shade of the blues/Taking chances with half-broken hearts.” Oh yes, we have to keep going, even if life is dominated by the blues, by missteps and setbacks. Are we foolish to remain optimistic? Yes, probably. Well, here she toasts us, “Here’s to all the beautiful fools.” This track contains a really nice lead on guitar in the second half. Larry Klein plays bass on this track. That’s followed by “Whiskey Or The Truth.” I love the delicious soulful vibe of this song, which is established right away. This song has me from that opening moment on keys, and her vocal performance is so moving. There is both warmth and ache in her voice. Check out these first few lines: “Empty bottles and broken dreams/I’m trying to find the answers/But I don’t know what it means/When something so good and true/Will leave me black and blue.” This is one of my personal favorites, captivating and beautiful from beginning to end. It was written by Jo Harrop and Hannah V.

“A Love Like This” begins in a darker place, and in the first line she refers to William Congreve’s famous line, “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned,” here singing “Hell hath no fury like a woman who believed/Only to find out her heart has been deceived.” She then tells us, “I am a woman who won’t go down without a fight.” And we believe her, mostly because she states it so plainly, not raising her voice here. But we’re unsure whether her fight will be successful, for though she sings of a love, there is a strong sense of loneliness to this song. And as the song goes on and she sings that she just can’t let go, we begin to wonder if it might be best to just let it go. It seems tears are going to come either way. It’s a beautiful performance. Then we get the first of the album’s covers, and it is the Leonard Cohen song, “Traveling Light” from that excellent You Want It Darker album. Jo Harrop does a really nice job with it. And perhaps because of its position following “A Love Like This,” the lines “I guess I’m just somebody who/Has given up on the me and you” stand out. When she sings “I know you’re right about the blues,” her voice sounds of the blues. Perfect. I also like the percussion here. Larry Klein plays bass on this one.

Jo Harrop returns to original material with “The Path Of A Tear (Le Chemin D’une Larme),” the album’s title track, which features some pretty guitar work. It’s a beautiful song of longing and melancholy, and yet also of resilience and hope, for she sings, “But I won’t cry/Something is born when something dies/The path of a tear leads me back to life.” This song was written by Jo Harrop and Greg Soussan. That’s followed by “You’ll Never Be Lonely In Soho.” The first several lines are delivered a cappella. “If I lived out in the countryside/I would surely lose my mind/For when I’m feeling low/There’s only one place I want to go/You’ll find me there.” There is a cool atmosphere as the musicians come in, the song having a delicious, relaxed late-night vibe. I love the feel of this one, and that piano lead is wonderful. This song was written by Jo Harrop and Paul Edis.

You’ll probably recall that 2016 was a horrible year, taking so many talented musicians from us. Less than a week after we lost Leonard Cohen we also lost Leon Russell. On this album Jo Harrop covers Russell’s “If It Wasn’t For Bad,” a song he recorded with Elton John for their 2010 album The Union (an album I need to add to my collection). Jo Harrop delivers a strong rendition. The original version features a lot of good piano work, and this rendition does too. But this rendition also includes some nice stuff on guitar, including a wonderful lead in the second half. Then “Too Close To The Sun” opens with the line “They say no one died of a broken heart.” Again I am reminded again of that awful year of 2016, for it seemed that Debbie Reynolds did die of a broken heart, just one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died in late December. Man, that year was just relentless. Not only did it take the lives of so many musicians and actors, but it left us with one of the worst people on the planet being elected as president. Anyway, this song has a pretty sound. “We flew too close to the sun/Like angels into ashes/Even angels make mistakes.” It was written by Jo Harrop and Paul Edis. That’s followed by “Hurt.” But even if we missed the song’s title, from the start the tone prepares us for lyrics of pain and sadness. “It hurts, it just hurts every time I find love/It hurts, yes, it hurts, ‘cause I can’t get close enough.” Yet, there is something positive here as she sings “When you believe and you give all your body and your soul.” Even if it turns out poorly, there is joy and power in giving yourself completely like that, and her delivery of that line reflects that. The next line is the result, however: “But love leaves you cold and broken down forevermore.” This is a captivating song, written by Jo Harrop and Geoff Gascoyne.

The final cover of the album is Steve Earle’s incredibly touching “Goodbye.” This song is from his Train A Comin’ album which came out in 1995. That same year Emmylou Harris released her own fantastic rendition of it (her Wrecking Ball album should be in every music lover’s collection). Jo Harrop delivers an excellent version herself. Whatever version I listen to, that line “One place I may never go in my life again” always hits me. I can’t help but think of all the moments that are gone, never to return. The places, the people. We just can’t hold onto moments, no matter much we’d like to. This is one of those songs that will find you reflecting on your own life and the people who have left it. Don’t be surprised if it leaves you in tears. This track is moving and beautiful. “Most Novembers I break down and cry/But I can’t remember if we said goodbye.” The disc then concludes with “Stay Here Tonight,” written by Jo Harrop and Ian Barter. “Do you think that you could fall in love with someone like me?” she asks at the beginning. There is more of a pop vibe to this track, and it features a nice, smooth delivery. “Let’s not overthink it/It is what it is/You can stay here tonight.”

CD Track List

1. Beautiful Fools
2. Whiskey Or The Truth
3. A Love Like This
4. Traveling Light
5. The Path Of A Tear (Le Chemin D’une Larme)
6. You’ll Never Be Lonely In Soho
7. If It Wasn’t For Bad
8. Too Close To The Sun
9. Hurt
10. Goodbye
11. Stay Here Tonight

The Path Of A Tear is scheduled to be released on June 7, 2024.