Jack Hardy Albums (6)
'The Tinker's Coin: Celtic Anthology'
Release Date 7/25/2005
Tracks 12
Label Great Divide
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Coin of the Realm'
Release Date 10/13/2004
Tracks 11
Label Great Divide
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Though he sounds nothing like him, Jack Hardy shares a particular set of strengths and weaknesses with Elvis Costello: namely, a seemingly effortless ability to turn a phrase, a great knack for melodies, and a terrible voice. That's not to say he's a bad singer -- it's just that he doesn't have much of an instrument to work with. If anything, he sounds like a young Tom Waits. Luckily, good songs can make up for an awful lot of vocal limitation, and Hardy has those in spades, beginning with the wry and tuneful "I Ought to Know" and ending with the sweetly despairing "A Change of Heart." In between, there are such lighthearted moments as "The Boney Bailiff" (one of a number of Irish tunes on a program otherwise dominated by more typical singer/songwriter fare) and "Síar ón nDaingean (West of Dingle)," as well as some songs about yellow birds and raven-haired girls. Hardy is backed by a strong but restrained folk-rock ensemble, and because the album was recorded live in the studio, it has a nice, loose-limbed feel about it. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Since Jack Hardy generally takes two to three years between albums, The Passing is likely his final statement on the 20th century, a fact he seems conscious of in a set of autumnal songs which demonstrate that he would much rather retreat into the 19th century than advance into the 21st. Over music steeped in Celtic folk tradition, Hardy either looks back fondly on pastoral scenes, using highly poetic language, or casts a scornful eye on contemporary urban life with wry wit. It seems a foregone conclusion what he will think of the new millennium after it arrives, but like the late 20th century, it will be made more tolerable by his commentary. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
