Biography
Following his 2019 debut solo album Liquid Damage, and on the back of a string of well-received singles, Harvey Russell released his second solo album Pure as the Flame, in March 2024 via Heartland Music Australia.
Harvey Russell knows his way around a country song, both its traditional form and its contemporary manifestations as alt-country and Americana. His ability to swing from a honky tonk dance floor gem to a brooding country rock ballad is one of the keys to why Pure as the Flame is such a rewarding album.
Stylistically, Russell also has an innate ability to channel the sounds of classic American songwriters and blend them with an Australian sensibility. Match that with the stellar guitar and pedal steel playing of Aaron Langman and you've got an absolutely compelling collection of Antipodean twang.
Russell's band The Widowmakers, a crack unit both in the studio and on stage, brought songs such as first single 'Honey Come Back to Me' to life in the rehearsal room and recording studio. Sounding like a hip-shaking honky tonk classic, the song's chorus also revealed Wilco-like chord changes and a streak of melancholy, acting as a beautiful counterpoint to the lively verses. It's a song loosely inspired by the cat and mouse, dark competitiveness of the distorted relationship depicted in novel, Gone Girl.
Russell followed it up with ‘Last Dance’, a song reminiscent of John Mellencamp circa The Lonesome Jubilee. In this case it was emanating from the Australian heartland, underlined with a solo that could’ve come from a Paul Kelly song residing at the twangier end of Australian country rock.
Single number three ‘Look Me In The Eye’ displayed a lush warm and classic sound, beautifully balanced between familiar country and edgier alt-country sounds as Russell hints at the fact we/society are at risk of losing our way, that we are not up to the challenges/demons we face.
Most recently, the title-track single and album opener found Russell exploring a more atmospheric, swaying and intimate sound, enhanced by lilting fiddle. "I’m happy I chose this as the opening track because I think it sets the scene nicely as acts as a bit of a counterpoint to some of the other songs," says Russell. "It’s a slow, emotive track as was the title track of my first album, so there's some thematic consistency there."
Elsewhere Russell and the band delve into cosmic Americana on the closing track 'Keep Coming Back', an energetic and modern take on a honky tonk vibe on 'No Backing Down' and the upbeat, tumbling shuffle of 'Mean Eyes', where Langman's pedal steel dances with Luke Moller's fiddle while bassist Jonathan Kelly adds backing vocals in the style of The Jordanaires.
Russell says of the song, "It depicts a guy having a little trouble keeping up with a new love interest he is courting. She’s a little on the fast and secretive (troublesome) side and he may be trying a little too hard!"
Right across the album we're introduced to a multitude of characters navigating life's ups and downs, often at the mercy of their own decisions. "Whilst not universal across these tracks, in general we find a range of protagonists facing challenging situations or being tested, whether of their own doing or from external forces," explains Russell. "Some are motivated to meet the testing circumstances before them, while others are likely to fall prey to their own weakness and self-deception. I’m interested in how these characters focus their attention, and, in essence, whether it helps them navigate reality successfully, for the good, or not."
From his time in the Harvey Swagger Band in the late 00s, to the country-folk duo Peasant Moon and now half a dozen years into an impressive solo career, Russell continues to constantly seek out new ways to document and convey the struggle and joy of the human experience through the mercurial medium of song.
"A troubadour that can attract listeners who enjoy the storytelling of Paul Kelly, John Mellencamp and more, Russell effortlessly infuses traditional country with Americana music."
COUNTRYTOWN
FOR FANS OF: Turnpike Troubadours, John Mellencamp, Paul Kelly, American Aquarium