Album: Harry and the Potters
Artist: Harry and the Potters
Released: 2002

Reviewed by Haley.

Harry and the Potters began their journey through wizard rock with this self-titled album. Full of the boy wizard’s experiences and emotions throughout the books, Harry and the Potters create a classic wizard rock CD from the perspective of none other than Harry himself.

Starting with Harry’s beginning, we hear “I Am a Wizard” — a song about Harry’s realization that he is part of the wizarding world. Sweet and simple, somehow this song simultaneously expresses the sadness Harry suffers, and is also full of Joe and Paul’s creative and unceasingly amusing lyrics.

“The Dark Lord Lament” truly is a lament, and shows us Harry’s pain of being the chosen one. They deliver lyrics such as “There’s an evil in the wizarding world/ And it is you/ But good will prevail/ No matter what you do” that make Harry Potter fans all around the world smile, and it’s lyrics like this that give us hope for a better world for Harry come book 7.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione use their “Problem Solving Skillz” in the song of that title — a catchy, quirky tune reminding us that the trio always works things out in the end.

The humor of the song “Fluffy” amuses us all, and I can’t forget the classic “Save Ginny Weasley” which is wonderfully written and performed. The entire CD sounds incredibly professional, and the high level of songwriting skills and musical talent is astounding.

Harry and the Potters so accurately capture the emotions of Harry, while at the same time creating amazing music. Songs such as “Gryffindor Rocks” cause any listener to jump up, dance, and sing along. At the same time, it illustrates the entire Hogwarts environment perfectly.

“The Firebolt” is a real head-banging song about Harry’s favorite Christmas present in his 3rd year. Then we hear a song about saving Sirius — “The Godfather.” It starts off as a quiet song, and explains Harry’s need to free Sirius from a fate worse than death over the sound of a softly strumming guitar.

The CD ends perfectly with the song “These Days are Dark,” whose lyrics read:

Voldemort is back, he’s come alive
These times are dark, but I can see a light
I can see it in your eyes

[…]

These days are dark, but we won’t fall
We’ll stick together through it all
And what’ll come, will come
And when it does, we’ll meet it with all our courage
These days are dark, but we won’t fall

Harry and the Potters never cease to amaze me. The music they write and play is spectacular and it all starts at this album. Their comical nature makes every listener smile, and their songs require you to sing along. If Harry Potter really had a rock band, this would be it.

The infectious emotions, classic situations, and true magnificence of the Harry Potter series that Harry and the Potters bring from the books to the world of wizard rock ensure that any fan will love this album.

Harry and the Potters is available for purchase at the band’s website. You can also check out some of their music by visiting their MySpace profile. Buy your copy and enjoy the album that made wizard rock what it is today!