DAVE HARDIN: Best Singer/Songwriter
1997.
By his reckoning, Dave is a distant cousin to the late folkster Tim Hardin, and despite being on far off branches of the family tree, the genes must've worked their way over. Dave is a true troubadour, his voice a worn piece of sandpaper, his lyrical imagery filled with plainspoken Americana. he writes and sings tunes that are touching, at times mesmerizing. Most of the time, he captures an exquisite melancholy, but is also capable of the occasional buoyant number. Hardin does not have a high profile as some of Tampa Bay's other neo-folkies. His performing is largely relegated to northern Pinellas County. It's high time he spread out.
–Eric Snider
DAVE HARDIN: Best Singer/Songwriter 1998.
Combining an earthy directness akin to Steve
Earle, a touch of the late Jeff Buckley's other-worldliness, balanced with a bit of, say, Dan Fogelberg's sweetness and light, Hardin's catalog of 150 plus originals run the range from vivid recounts of his own childhood in Kentucky to dreams involving overheard flirtations between Pharaohs and Queens of ancient Egypt. His voice, like his songs, resonates deeply. Also an exceedingly facile guitarist, Hardin alternately caresses and attacks the strings with a verve and panache reminiscent of Richard Thompson's
solo outings. Suffice to say, Hardin is the complete package, well worth your time and entertainment dollar.
–Mark Warren
DAVE HARDIN: Nine Years Alone.
Nearing 39 years old, Palm Harbor’s Dave Hardin is not quite a decade into his musical career, yet he has independently released an album that
surpasses most anything you’ll hear from more established singer/songwriters on Rounder and other labels. Over 11 memorable songs, Hardin displays a melodic ingenuity that surpasses the folkie crowd, and a flair for capturing glimpses of real life and turning them into compelling song-stories. The title tune, written as a kind of an apology to his young son, will surely wrench the gut of anyone who put a small child through a divorce. "And sometimes I catch him lookin' old/ too tired to smile much/ and his hair needs combed." Although most of Hardin’s lyrics are plainspoken, he has knack for metaphor. "'Cause scrapes are slow to heal/ When you’re sleepin' on your side/ And there’s a queen size wall between us/ A stronger man could climb," he sings about a flagging marriage. Hardin delivers these insights in a seductively tuneful rasp with a hint of twang from his younger days in small-town Kentucky and suburban Cincinnati. While some of the songs feature only acoustic guitar backing, most are outfitted with understated arrangements of subtly textured electric six-strings, minimal keyboards, slurry bass, occasional harmonica, and in the case of There’s You, some sumptuous background harmonies. Hardin’s local profile has been steadily rising over the last couple of years, but even so, Nine Years Alone is nothing short of a revelation.
–Eric Snider
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3/31/00
DAVE HARDIN: Nine Years Alone.
Hardin knows how to craft a song and others recognize
that; Hardin was twice awarded Best Songwriter honors by the Weekly Planet. Nine Years Alone is top-quality folk and roots rock with awesome arrangements. Hardin's sandpapery voice and nuanced, charming delivery in a Kentucky drawl make songs such as Between Us beautiful. Nu Varres, with its big bright chorus and gorgeous harmonies is an instant forget-me-not. With buddy Patrick Bettison fleshing out tunes with harmonica, piano and slide guitar, Nine Years Alone would sound at home on VH1, in Borders, even on your car stereo.
–Gina Vivinetto
3/24/2000
DAVE HARDIN: Nine Years Alone.
Dave Hardin proves on this disc why he is
one of the Bay area's more popular singer-songwriters.
His voice is striking– craggy and weathered,
just right for the lyrical scenarios of small towns, lonely highways and
rural routes.
Relating to Hardin's lyrics doesn't require having
grown up with an "IGA downtown", as he sings about in Nu Varres,
but it doesn't hurt at all.
Hardin's own acoustic guitar forms the musical
basis for these songs. Gary Ashton's drums provide the pulse on
most numbers, while Patrick Bettison adds most everything else–
bass, guitars, keyboards, percussion and harmonica. Bettison also handled
the album's production, which has a crispness and presence that's rare
on local releases.
Hardin's songs have a rustic feel but that doesn't
mean he can't cough up a good pop song–Can't Believe My Eyes has
the major hallmark of a hit: It sounds great while you're driving.
–Curtis Ross
 HIGHER & HIGHER
MOODY BLUES MAGAZINE
Hardin's 11-track Nine Years Alone is a refreshing
effort that about 99 percent of today's "young country" acts would do well
to review. Hardin eschews posturing and gimmicks in favor of heartfelt
lyrics and clean, accessible arrangements. His acoustic work is especially
appealing — particularly when coupled with his slightly raspy Bryan Adams-esque
voice.
It's heartening to hear someone finally properly
synthesizing some of the tasty musical influences handed down by the likes
of Stephen Stills, Gordon Lightfoot and John Mellencamp.
Although I wish Hardin the success and exposure
he obviously so richly deserves, a greedy part of me rejoices that music
such as this is not largely known. Here's hoping that The Tree or Queen
Sized Wall will never accompany an ad for Pepsi or that Between Us or
Nine Years Alone will end up in Scream IV.
–Mark Murley
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