Harvey’s Bold Style Draws New Audience
There’s something about a red dress that catches the eye and quickens the heart.
On the cover of her new album, the passionate and bluesy “To Bring You My Love,” British singer P J Harvey sports a crimson dress - a striking departure from the unflattering, semi-nude getups the rock diva has worn in the past.
“Obviously red is a very vibrant color and carries a whole lot of different connotations with it,” Harvey explained.
“Not only that, it’s really striking for live performances and captures an audience’s attention immediately. It’s also a color I like and it goes with my skin color. It’s a beautiful dress and it feels nice to wear and it’s easy to move in.”
The devil in the red dress wails and howls her way through the boldest collection of songs she has recorded to date. Inspired by classic American bluesmen, the music is fueled by dark, sexual yearnings. In “Send His Love to Me,” she sings, “Left alone in the desert / This house becomes a hell / This love becomes a tether / This room becomes a cell.”
The album has brought Harvey a flurry of four-star reviews and a wider audience. But she insists that becoming a mainstream crossover, even on her own strict terms, is not her aim.
“No, definitely not,” she said in a phone interview from England.
“I’ve only made music because it’s what I have to do for myself. If I started making music for any other reason it would be a load of rubbish and I’d have to stop immediately. …
“I certainly am very surprised at how this record has been received. And it’s not something that I set out to do. I can’t guarantee what I write next will be as appealing to people. It probably won’t be.’ Though her songs are sometimes deeply confessional, Harvey has seldom enjoyed revealing herself through interviews. In fact, she once vowed to quit doing them entirely.
“I’ve chosen to use music as my way of self-expression. And in the beginning I said to myself, ‘Why isn’t that enough? Why do people still want more? Why do they want to delve into your private life and things like that?’ It’s very difficult and very invasive. And I found it very upsetting.
“But like anything, the more you do it, the more you become used to it. I got used to it as much as brushing my teeth in the morning.”
Some of her reticence comes from her rural upbringing. She grew up in the county of Dorset, on a farm where her parents raised sheep and chickens. Her parents also loved rock ‘n’ roll and often cranked up the music in the wee hours of the morning.
“My brother and I used to be awakened at 3 in the morning quite often. We’d be really, really cross and storm out and tell them to turn the music down,” she said.
Harvey still lives near her parents in Dorset, in a new home of her own. Growing up on a farm gave her a good grounding, she said.
“Being in touch with the earth, with nature and seeing how life moves in circles in very important,” she said. “I know that sounds like a very hippieish thing to say, but it’s true. And I think it’s helped me keep my feet firmly on the ground.”
Her current tour features a five-member band. When her musicians reach the stage, there is little doubt that this is the P J Harvey show.
“I have a very clear idea of how I like things played and the parts that I want played. And there’s not a whole lot of leeway for other people’s creative input.”