Songs for Clem

The album was never intended by Harmer for widespread release, but as a 1998 Christmas gift for her father, Clem Harmer. It features Harmer's personal, home-recorded renditions of several of her father's favourite pop and country standards.[1] Upon hearing the recording, Harmer's friends and family convinced her to release it independently. She did so in 1999; following her commercial breakthrough in 2000 with You Were Here, the album was re-released under Harmer's new major label distribution deal with Universal Music Canada.[1]

Clem Harmer subsequently appeared on Sarah's 2005 album I'm A Mountain, contributing backing vocals to two songs.[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Allmusic music critic Johnny Lofthus wrote the album feels "lovingly handmade, with cover art right out of a child's Father's Day art project and an immediate, field-type recording quality that features accompaniment from crickets and a passing rainstorm. This isn't to say it's lo-fi; on the contrary, it's crystal clear." and that "... it's a true sentimental journey for people inspired by their parents to love music."[1]

1. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Bill Monroe) – 2:07
2. "Tennessee Waltz" (Redd Stewart, Pee Wee King) – 2:52
3. "Black Coffee" (Sonny Burke, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:53
4. "Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 3:00
5. "Oh Bury Me Not" (Traditional) – 1:25
6. "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" (Traditional) – 3:22
7. "Shine on Harvest Moon" (Jack Norworth, Nora Bayes) – 2:13
8. "Trouble in the Fields" (Nanci Griffith, Rick West) – 4:02
9. "Your Cheatin' Heart" (Hank Williams) – 2:32
10. "Summertime" (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, Ira Gershwin) – 3:45
11. "Sentimental Journey" (Les Brown, Ben Homer, Bud Green) – 2:44
12. "O, My Beloved Father" (Giacomo Puccini, Giovacchino Forzano) – 2:07

• Sarah Harmer – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
• Jason Euringer – bass, guitar, background vocals, slides
• Spencer Evans – clarinet, piano, background vocals
• Benji Perosin – trumpet

• Produced by Sarah Harmer
• Mastered by Jan Turney and Graeme McCann
• Engineered and mixed by Robin Aube, assisted by Tom Lawless[3]
• Photography by Kelsey Finlayson