Harris branches out
Last week, I criticized modern pop country music and then reviewed a country album I really liked. Here, I'm going to review a country album that I not only like but can say is one of my favorite albums ever.
Long before Wynonna had a number-one country hit, even before Reba had recorded her first album, Emmylou Harris, the "original sweetheart of the rodeo" was performing music from bluegrass to rock 'n'roll, the complete spectrum of country. Though never a derivative artist, in recent albums, Harris has experimented more widely with the traditional forms of country. Harris' vocals show great power, control and experience; she affects none of the twang heard in some of today's female country vocalists.
Wrecking Ball may be her greatest experiment ever and is definitely her greatest success. Harris and producer Daniel Lanois (whose credits include The Joshua Tree ) create a rich acoustic landscape with songs that probe the facets of loneliness. Lanois, a fine musician in his own right (he plays guitar and sings backup vocals on most tracks), probably has as much influence on the sound as Harris. Several of the songs are his own compositions.
More importantly, he assembled a great team of backup musicians. U2's Larry Mullen triumphantly succeeds in adapting his style to a more acoustic sound. Neil Young provides sweet background vocals to his own composition, the album's title track. His harmonica perfectly concludes the album's most outstanding song, "Sweet Old World."
The music is hard to classify. It is very far removed from being pop country. The acoustic guitars are often suggestive of modern folk music. But Mullen's drumming gives it a surprisingly modern sensibility, and Lanois' guitar sounds like it is being played by an experienced rock musician. The opening track, "Where Will I Be," could have come from The Joshua Tree sessions. And the cover of Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love" is quite remarkable, quite unlike any country song I've ever heard.
"Goodbye," a duet with one of country music's greatest songwriters, Steve Earle, has a Southwestern feel. "Sweet Old World" expresses the sentiments of someone whose lover has committed suicide. The song doesn't beg for pity; it considers the topic with sad control. The music and lyrics express the emotion perfectly. It is very beautiful.
The images evoked by the songs often determine how much I like an album. Listening to this album made me feel like I was watching a group of musicians perform for a small, enraptured crowd on a wide Texas plain, stars rising overhead.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 1, 1996 issue.
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