I use the phrase “multi-genre” or something similar a lot when I write about music. I think with the way artists present their music in this day and age, “multi-genre” or “genre unspecific” or whatever is an apt and common descriptor. Also, it can be a little lazy, and I am as guilty as anyone of mis-using it. It seems like anytime someone comes along who experiments with different sounds, we slap multi-genre on them when maybe it just something different within the same field. Then something like HD Harmen’s Papoose comes out and reminds me what being multi-genre actually means.

HD Harmsen HD Harmsen is an artist interested in being truly multi-genre. If I could throw a wide net on him, it would be “modern pop”, but that doesn’t do this album justice. While there are songs like the title track “Papoose”, which is a tremendous modern pop sing-a-long or “A Love Forgotten” the jaunty horn bedded ditty, there are tracks like The Beatles-esque ballad “The Balloon” the old-west country “Strawberries and Milk” or the mariachi “Dog Days” or “Teetoatler” which would fit in better on Boardwalk Empire before it would modern radio. Hell, there is even a track that sounds like it could be a Poison Control Center B-side in “How to Kill A Monster” or “I Still Believe in You” which I think might be a slight homage to the song Adam Sandler writes for Drew Barrymore at the end of The Wedding Singer. So, while pop is probably a solid way to describe the album, Harmsen has no real designs of being pigeon-holed. His only artistic desire is to make what he wants to make and make it with a smile, with charm and with style.

It seems perfect for a guy like Harmsen to release an album so adventurous. Harmsen has been part of many different scenes in his life. He’s a member of bands like Christopher the Conquered and Derek Lambert and the Prairie Fires. He has gotten involved with the bourgeoning musical theater scene and in the past was involved with the ska band Slaughterhouse 6 and the 70’s AM Radio friendly The Atudes. The album pulls from all of this experience and so much more.

There is a reason more people don’t try to be this wide a range, though. You can end up alienating your audience. So while some might like the rock song, they may hate an old-timey country one. Somehow, through his persistence and charm, Harmsen manages to make a true multi-genre album that somehow succeeds in being all things to all people. And while, it’s true that there are tracks I didn’t like as much as others, they all seem to showcase his songwriting and what his band is capable of. The listeners own tastes get to decide what works and what doesn’t. So while my favorite track was the quick and loud pop/ska/rock of “The Phoenix” others may find the subtler tracks more to their liking. He’s such a talented artist, that he turns the negatives of an album of this type into an overwhelming positive. Instead of driving people away, he brings them together with respect and appreciation. Like a one-album music festival.-Dave Murphey