Shirl Harris
Youth In Asia was a well known
cover band back in the day. They put on a good show. But, I think most
people remember them from their only official release,
"Kamakazi," which was only available on record. One tune with
the flip side being an instrumental version of the same song. That was
almost 20 years ago, so, the band is nothing more than a memory now.
However, some of the people who were involved with that band are still
active in the music business.
Being the Youth In Asia fan that I am, I was thrilled to get a CD from
former vocalist Shirl Harris. I knew she had been recording original
material for quite some time now. But, she wasn't really doing anything
with it and only a few people have heard what she has to offer. The CD
that I recieved isn't a public release so to speak. It's not something
she's out there promoting on a full time basis or anything like that,
which is a shame, really, because this release is one that deserves to be
heard by as many people as possible.
This is a true solo project. Shirl does everything on this release, with
the exception of some lead guitar work on one song. When you get right
down to it, I guess you could consider her to be a singer/songwriter
since that's what she does. For those of you who remember Youth In Asia,
I'm sure you remember that Shirl was a full blown rock 'n' roll vocalist.
I used to say that she could probably shatter glass with that scream she
had, which could be heard on "Kamakazi," and the last time I
saw her perform live, which was a year or two ago, I'd say that she still
has the ability to do that. However, on this release, she's more, shall
we say, laid back.
Oh, don't get me wrong, her sound still has a rock edge to it. But, I get
the impression that the only thought that went through her mind when
putting this release together was to simply write the best material she
could possibly write, which I believe she has done. I also don't think
her well is anywhere near running dry. She's a brilliant songwriter who
has a way with words and, on top of it, she still has that unique vocal
style.
This is a really cool release that deserves to be heard by as many people
as possible. I also believe that listening to this album will create a
burning desire to hear more material. I know I'm looking forward to
hearing more tunes because I'm sure the best is yet to come.
As far as this CD goes, I think the best tracks are the first,
"Better Than This," and the last, "What You're
Missin'," which is kind of cool because you've got four other tunes
in the middle of these two songs that are all pretty damn good. It all
flows together so well and it's got a really cool vibe that just can't be
beat.
Like I said before, this wasn't meant to be a public release and it's not
something that Shirl was really been promoting. But, I've been making
CD-R's for a few people, with her permission of course, and I've been
getting these songs out to other people to get some feedback and, so far,
it's been going rather well. People seem to like it, which is no suprise
to me. I told you, it's a really good album. Anyway, since it wasn't
really meant to be a public release, I'm not sure how much she'd charge
for a copy. But, if this is something that you'd be interested in
hearing...and, believe me, it is....be sure to drop her a line and see
what you can do to get a copy. It's well worth the effort and that's
something you can quote me on.
E-mail: shirlmillie@tds.net
http://personalpages.tds.net/~shirlmillie