Barton Hartshorn is a singer-songwriter currently living in Paris. He, first and foremost, has a great voice that takes us straight to the heart of the song. Steeped in an English pop-folk universe, his songs have a 70s west coast Americana flavour; it’s this blend of scenes and sounds that gives them their distinctly personal and original touch. Imagine Lloyd Cole fronting Steely Dan or Paul McCartney sitting in with the Eagles…
« It was when I was furthest away from home, in Australia, that the idea came to me: Barton Hartshorn. The English village I grew up in. It was so obvious I’d never thought of it. Being far away does that; tells you things you should already know. I was in need of a home and so were the songs I’d written over my time in Melbourne. I’d spent some of the year drumming for Australian artists (Angus Stone, Gossling) and the rest working as a sous-chef in noisy Melbourne catering joints, scribbling lyrics when the Head chefs were busy screaming at someone else.
One morning at 5 a.m. I got on a bus to a music festival out in the Australian middle-of-nowhere. I didn’t see any bands that day. I heard them though, from my place in the kitchen where I was cooking lamb souvlaki for 10 hours. What am I doing here I thought? On the wrong side of this wall.
Later that night the bus left me in the city and I found somewhere quiet to sit and write; a late night noodle bar and then a tiny café in a covered passageway… good places to stop and put down an idea.
Nothing grows without a root and although I couldn’t yet see the shape, I could see where it was pointing. Some of the song titles said it plainly: “Everything is better than before”, “Looking back for the best”. And even when I was telling stories (One-time Donny, Wreckinghouse) I realised I was really writing about a new beginning, another way of being me. Welcome to Barton Hartshorn. »
US TOUR DATES – FRANCE ROCKS SUMMER FEST 2019:
6/18 @ Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
6/20 @ David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center – New York, NY
Selected reviews from European release of album:
“Addictive…a jewel on the English scene”
“Let’s start by saying that this album is captivating…right from the first acoustic guitar chords and harmonica that accompany Barton Hartshorn’s magnificent voice, we’re steeped in a west coast, pop-folk vibe.”
“Amongst the cream of British pop…11 gems including the stand-out Something This Bright Should Explode.”
“Finely tuned, memorable melodies and a voice with elegance and punch… Really addictive songs.” ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
“One of the finest albums of the moment. Like a mix of Steely Dan and George Harrison. An absolute must!”
“It’s like coming across a Californian radio station from the 70s where one gem follows another…song after song sounds like an instant classic.”
“A real renaissance for this singer-songwriter whose voice takes us on a mesmerising journey through these gorgeous songs.”
“A flamboyant album…radiant songs. It would appear that the shortest route to California is via the village of Barton Hartshorn.”
