If there's one essential character trait for a successful singer-songwriter it might be a thirst to see the world and to put such observations into words.Krista Hartman seems well on her way with the debut disc Passport. It's a 46-minute collection of 13 all-original songs frequently inspired by her own experiences at home and abroad, often delivered with arresting, expressive vocals that suggest her serious creative determination to put a message across.You can catch singer-guitarist Hartman in performance tonight at The Sidetrack Cafe when she marks the release of Passport with a backing trio headed up by the album's co-producer Lane Arndt, who's better known for experimental music projects like On-Cord Ensemble (guest Paul Bellows and The Dead Canadas open the show at 8 p.m.; tickets are $8 at the door).

While 26-year-old Hartman has only been based in Edmonton a couple of years, she admits “it's the first time I've been in one place for that long in years”, ever since she caught the travel bug in her late teens. Subsequent trips to Australia, Indonesia and Korea expanded her view of the world before she came back to Canada and lived briefly in Toronto and Calgary, building on her music all the while. Along the way she's opened for the likes of Danny Michel and Luke Doucet, and she finds Edmonton's music scene to be friendly and stimulating.

In one tune that is partly about being home-sick dubbed Palm Trees, Hartman writes: “Years ago I wandered like a vagabond/it didn't matter where I was going to/or where I used to belong”.
She underlines that the Passport album title is a literal and metaphorical reference, given that the songs on the album cover both literal journeys and some of those life-changing events, including a couple of family tragedies, that force you to grow. She adds that literary license was used to improve the songs so it's not all word-for-word truth.

Translating something personal to a universal experience is a key for maturing songwriters, something the singer realized a while ago. Even if you might find a comfortable cliche here and there, her lyrics move beyond the confessional approach to take in a wider, thoughtful perspective on things, making Passport an impressive debut. For her part, Hartman was surprised to find that her performances have even moved some audience members to tears.“There's something in my music that seems to trigger memories of life experiences in other people, something I didn't even realize, but I think it's a healthy thing. In a way, music itself can be like a form of therapy.”
Hartman was born and raised in the northern Alberta town of Peace River amongst a very musical family where everyone played something and often got together to do so (a cousin is in the band Emerson Drive). After starting on piano she switched to guitar at 11, but the experience of attending boarding school in her mid-teens was the real catalyst that pushed her to focus on playing and songwriting.

Catching the 2002 Edmonton folk fest was the final impetus to do something with her music and within a year she had collaborated on a four-song demo. Now, two years later, she feels this debut album is quite different again, a reflecting of her own eclectic listening tastes. Who knows where her Passport will take Hartman in the future.
The CD is available through Blackbyrd Myoozik and Megatunes, or via her website, www.kristahartman.com.