45. You Were Here – Sarah Harmer (2000)

A constant challenge faced amid selecting this Top 50 of the 00s list is debating which is better: an artist’s most progressive album or the one that might be slightly flawed but is of heightened personal significance. In most cases I chose the latter but here’s an exception: You Were Here may not carry the personal gravity that I’m A Mountain reminisces but it’s easily her most well-rounded, varied album. At times bare-boned (as on the haunting title track) and radio-slick (‘Basement Apt.’), the wealth of these arrangements float on a lyrical intimacy woven by this Canadian songbird’s signature voice. Sorrowful and nostalgic without a trace of regret or hang-ups, You Were Here remains the crowning statement of Harmer’s infrequent discography.