Pure harmony, sound songwriting and beautiful voices collided when two young female musicians struck up a bond amid a Kansas City airport, over of all things, TCBY. Six years later, the duo has established a strong foundation for what looks to be a long-successful road ahead.
The Wreckers, the pair that is Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, is criss-crossing the nation in support of its debut “Stand Still Look Pretty” (Maverick Records) alongside red-hot country act, Rascal Flatts. Twelve tracks of pure country flavoring with rock and devastating harmonies sprinkled throughout “Stand Still”, leave listeners wondering “which one of these ladies is singing?”
“I had been getting emails from our mutual fans telling me that I sounded like Michelle,” Harp, speaking from the tour bus en route to Dallas, recalled. “During her first radio tour, she made a stop in my hometown, Kansas City. I ran up to the airport and we had TCBY and talked for as long as we could.”
Songwriting for her new cohort has been a welcomed process, Harp said. Grammy Award-winning Branch, an established singer/songwriter in her own right, plays the role of developing the contagious, but elegant harmonies. Country-rooted Harp, excels at piecing together the words.
Nashville Bound
Harp, who moved to Nashville after being signed to a record deal, grew up listening to such acts as The Judds, Reba McIntrye and George Strait, found an instant spark and equal ground while collaborating with Beatles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young-rooted Branch.
“When you’re listening to my lyrics, you’re getting a piece of me. I hardly write anything that I haven’t experienced,” she said. “‘My Oh My’ is my favorite, actually, both mine and Michelle’s favorite. It has meaning in our lives, that if you don’t stop and appreciate things in the moment you will miss out.”
Not a Side Project
Harp insists that The Wreckers is “not just a side project” for Branch. The multi-platinum selling artist has found a solid partner in Harps. Among the other outstanding offerings on The Wreckers debut, “Crazy People” and “The Good Kind” capture the moment and do little to let go.
Motherhood on the Road
One day at time, of course, they are filling in the pieces as they go. That includes motherhood. Writing letters to each other to document the tour proved to be fulfilling and telling task. It was then that Harp witnessed Branch’s love for her now-husband, Teddy Landau. Now, she’s seeing daily the transformation Owen, Branch’s one-year-old daughter, has created.
“She’s a pro,” Harp said. “When Owen is out there with us and it makes us so happy. We can’t take anything too seriously; the bad stuff just goes away when we see her.
Our main goal is to go in together and make another album, but we’re just taking it a day at time.”
