The Secret Sun

1	Just a Photograph 2:52
2	The Secret Sun 3:45
3	Long Way from Home 2:20
4	All My Life 3:43
5	What Makes You / Jesse Harris & The Ferdinandos 4:19
6	How? 2:47
7	You Were on My Mind 3:23
8	If You Won't 2:13
9	The Other Road 4:06
10	The Midnight Bell 3:28
11	Roberta 4:45
12	You, The Queen 3:27

Barnes & Noble

Although he's best known as the guy who wrote Norah Jones's breakthrough hit, "Don't Know Why," as well as four other songs on her Grammy-sweeping debut, Jesse Harris has got plenty to say on his own -- as evidenced by The Secret Sun, his fourth album with his Brooklyn-based band, the Ferdinandos, and his major-label debut. Here, Harris exudes an easygoing quality similar to Jones's, though it's more rooted in the folkier side of rock -- particularly in the guitar interplay between Harris and Tony Scherr -- than the cooler edge of jazz. The difference isn't so much one of volume but one of energy, with Harris cranking it up a little higher. Harris and Scherr's instrumental prowess drives the Brill Building pop of "How?" as well as the breezy "The Midnight Bell," which gets an extra bit of verve from a sinuous marimba line. Jones makes a cameo appearance on "What Makes You," where she and Harris perform a free-and-easy vocal duet, but she keeps things low-key. Harris does the same, for the most part, offering a nimble interpretation of the traditional blues tune "Roberta" and breathing a quiet desperation into the album's jazziest cut, "You, the Queen." He's already proven himself behind the scenes, but with The Secret Sun Jesse Harris establishes himself as a singer-songwriter to be reckoned with. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Fans of Jesse Harris' Grammy award-winning work with Norah Jones may be surprised by The Secret Sun. Harris' long history of work with his band the Ferdinandos has a similar laid-back singer/songwriter vibe to Come Away With Me, but where pianos and acoustic basslines punctuated the Norah Jones album, Harris relies on subdued guitar distortion and countified twang. Much like fellow singer/songwriter Josh Rouse, Harris seems to be sweetly smiling while singing, and his summery melodies drift out across the acoustic guitars and gentle brushwork (courtesy of drummer Kenny Wollesen), giving the whole album a contemplative Sunday afternoon feel. The pace picks up in the driving "You Were on My Mind" and the rootsy "All My Life," but never breaks out into full "rock" mode, seemingly content to coast on a dusty August breeze. Although Miss Jones herself makes an unobtrusive appearance on the Jayhawks-y ballad "What Makes You," The Secret Sun is clearly Harris' album. Hopefully listeners will be able to enjoy it as such, and Harris will be able to be recognized on his own as opposed to being "that one guy who plays guitar in Norah Jones' band." Zac Johnson

Entertainment Weekly

Sun is studded with literate, well-structured songs. (B) Jim Greer