Album Notes

Since it's release John Harley Weston's debut solo independent album 'Hope Harbour' (2004/5) has picked up some serious international awards.

In Australia where this Scotsman is now based he won the prestigious Australian National Songwriting Contest 2005 (rock category) with the rootsy, bursting up-tempo summer country-rock anthem 'Last Days Of Summer'. He received highest level Honourable Mention from Billboard World Songwriting Contest (2006) for his humanitarian lament, 'Brothers and Sisters' inspired by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In 2006 John also made the top 20 at the notoriously difficult Unisong International Songwriting Contest judged by songwriting legends...a competition that has given birth to songwriters such as Bonnie Raitt , Jimmy Buffet, Stewart Copeland, Mick Fleetwood, Indigo Girls, Burt Bacharach, Peter Frampton, Lisa Loeb....That's huge recognition for a first independent album!

It gets better.....Weston was also voted in the top 5 best singers in the world by a major heavy-weight U.S. music publisher Dale Kawashima who has represented the catalogs of Springsteen, Dylan, Beatles, Motown, Prince, Burt Bacharach. That's some endorsement of John Harley Weston's talent.

He held the #1 spot for the entire first 6 months of 2007 on the ILR Australian Independent Radio Charts with 'Brothers and Sisters'. Isonliveradio syndicate radio shows to over 200 stations worldwide.

Weston's driving force is current.....he believes in the youth mantras of 'All Colours - One World' and 'It's not who you know it's who you are'. Without being pretentious his songs delve deep in to human nature urging us to 'scratch beneath the surface' in search of more....and there is more.

'Hope Harbour' was released in 2004 in Australia (2005 rest of the world). The songs featured are in a rock genre with a solid backbone of country, blues and roots. The full band sound is refined but not overly produced, almost retro. Much more than a straight-ahead rock singer this man has a lot of soul and weaves those elements in to a 'now' package. The 13 songs coax us to remember what’s important in life; life itself. Observant lyrics tackling global unity, the struggle for peace, literally and mentally, the importance of family and the need for the us to reflect on the past but focus mainly on the here and now.

You get the feeling this writer is displaying the tip of his iceberg. Think of the real pros like Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Paul Kelly, Ben Harper, Jimmy Webb, Don Henley, Lyle Lovett, Paul Rogers, David Gray, Paul Weller....John Harley Weston is another name to add to that list.

Weston's no stranger to the music industry having worked with some big hitters like Gary Katz (Steeley Dan).....he's recorded in some world famous studios and written for the mighty Brisbane Lions AFL Aussie Rules Football team. I won't bore you with all that guff here. See John's website for more.

In the meantime grab a copy of 'Hope Harbour'; stick it in your player, sit back, stand up, run around, body surf on a car or just sit back and relax. Do what every makes you feel good, cause this album is going to take you right over the edge in to nirvana. And guess what.....the next album, due to be released April 2007, and is already making waves....sneak preview at www.johnharleyweston.com