Paula Cole's 1994 debut album seems largely forgotten these days (many seem to be under the impression that This Fire was her debut), but it is one of the finest singer-songwriter albums of the period. Paula had toured successfully with Peter Gabriel and brought her unique and beautiful vocals to his live Secret World show. She wasn't just a backing singer, but a featured performer in his show getting her moment to shine on the 'Don't Give Up' duet. Her performance on that tour was stunning and a great taste of what was to come.
On Harbinger, she shows that she wasn't just an exceptionally gifted singer with amazing nuance and control in her voice. She was a great writer too. The songs on this album are emblematic of the sensitivity and sincerity of the women's movement of the '90s--a musical movement more dear to me than any other. On songs like I Am So Ordinary and Bethlehem, Paula writes with vivid detail, bringing the lives of young women into focus. For young women (like myself when I first began listening to her), this music is incredibly emotional, relatable and invigorating. It isn't just that she understands what it is to be a young woman. It is that she is so gifted at communicating that, with both poetic nuance and almost journalistic integrity and honesty. From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/paula-cole/harbinger/
