I first discovered Portland native Corey Harper back in 2016, when he opened for Justin Bieber on the West Coast leg of his āPurpose Tour.ā Strapped with a guitar, Harper managed to command and impress an arena full of die-hard beliebers. So when he returned to Portland the following year (he now lives in LA) to play a nearly sold-out show at Mississippi Studios, I decided to slide through and see what his solo concerts were all about. As I stood among a hometown crowd of his loudest fans/friends/family members, I became increasingly smitten with Harperās understated vocals, blues-affected guitar solos, and the passion he brought to the songs from his On the Run EP, as well as an arsenal of stellar covers.
Harperās follow-up EP Barely Put Together was released August 2 on AWAL Recordings. The project is five tracks of folk rock/Americana that illustrate his rocky but rewarding journey to self-discovery.
Throughout, the 24-year-oldās influences are clear: Heās like a less bluesy John Mayer. Or a more guitar-prone Justin Bieber. Or a prettier Ben Howard. From the pop-infused opening track āBlindā (detailing the pains of a long-distance relationship) to its remorseful closer āBest of Me,ā a lot of this (especially āDonāt Hate Meā) is radio-ready, and all of it is excellently recorded.
Harper ramps up the country twang on the somber āDried Blood,ā while album highlight āBetterā is packed with soulful guitar riffs and Harperās empowering message to embrace ourselves fully, even when we donāt have the answers. Harper himself dubbed the song an āanti-hypeman anthem,ā and in the chorus he sings, āI donāt have my shit together/But I think I like it better/Knowing that I donāt have to hide it/Everyoneās just so fair-weathered/Oh I think I like it better/Better, knowing I donāt have it all together.ā
And surprisingly, just hearing him repeatedly sing ābetter, I feel betterā in a pleasing falsetto does make me feel better about not having my shit together.
While Harperās not exactly breaking the mold here, Barely Put Together is a solid effort that gives him even more ammo for his already outstanding live act.