There have been a lot of interesting takes on Americana coming to the surface from beneath the mainstream in the last two years, and while I’m reticent to chock up David Haerle’s new single and music video “Go Do That With Sharon” to a trend in his scene, there’s no debate whether or not it fits in with the movement. With a heady guitar-driven harmony to lead the way, this track plows through the speakers like a Camaro on the open highway, inviting all of us into the cab for a road trip of rhythm and rhyme few will soon forget.
At its core, this is a very traditional singer/songwriter look for David Haerle accented with some mild alternative rock themes for the purpose of aesthetical balance. I don’t think any of the components within this song or its music video are all that exaggerated; on the contrary, everything here feels pretty efficient and focused towards delivering a specific narrative unto us free of bombast. Unfortunately, that’s often asking a lot from the mainstream folk-rockers among us today, but for Haerle, it’s the order of the day in “Go Do That With Sharon” and a lot of the other songs on his album Death Valley.
Listen to “Go Do That With Sharon”
The lead vocal is at the center of all the action in this single, but I wouldn’t say that it minimizes the impact of the guitar parts here at all. If anything, the smoky-toned voice on the other side of the enormous solo in the latter half of the song is the foundation atop which all of the instrumental glories in this single are built. The structure is pop-influenced without question, but there’s also a lot of folk, rock and even a touch of desert punk in the melting pot of influences that makes up “Go Do That With Sharon.”
As much as I love the video for this song, something tells me that it would sound and feel even more amazing if heard on-stage in a live performance from David Haerle. On more than one level, it has the bones of an extended jam just waiting to be exploited in front of a crowd of mesmerized fans. I don’t know if he’s already had the opportunity to test out its appeal in front of an audience yet or not, but once he does, I think it’s going to elevate his status within the underground exponentially.
Those who are looking for some cut and dry melodies that don’t shortchange us on profound textures and chills should make a point to hear and experience David Haerle’s “Go Do That With Sharon” before the month of June has expired. These have been strange times for the music industry, but lately a lot of indie artists like this one have been picking up the ball that mainstream players seem to have dropped. Haerle is making music for a world that needs to relax a lot more frequently than it does here, and for his efforts I believe he deserves a lot of praise from critics like myself.
