Saturday, November 17, 2012

CD Odyssey Disc 459: Emmylou Harris


I am just back from brunch with a couple of friends (Nick and Ross) and a little CD shopping.  I can’t seem to stop getting new albums, even though I am behind in ‘listening time’.  Today’s purchases were K’Naan’s first album, “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” and Eddie Vedder’s “Ukulele Songs” which are in fact, ukulele songs.  I’ll talk about both when I roll them

For now it appears the Dice Gods would like me to stick with the folksy side of country, following up on Gordon Lightfoot with some Emmylou Harris.

Disc 459 is… Roses in the Snow
 Artist: Emmylou Harris

Year of Release: 1980

What’s up with the Cover?  Emmylou can make even that very unattractive seventies blouse look good.  Behind her are some woods or maybe a park, it’s hard to say and harder to care when Emmylou is in the foreground.

How I Came To Know It:  As I noted when I reviewed “Pieces of the Sky” back at Disc 417 I’ve known Emmylou since I was a kid, but it was a combination of getting her later album “Wrecking Ball” and hearing her voice on so many other artist’s albums that led me to start drilling through her collection.

And for the second review in a row a big shout out to Rhino music for doing such a beautiful job of repackaging and remastering all of Emmylou’s early classics so a new generation can appreciate them.

How It Stacks Up:  I have nine of Emmylou’s studio albums, plus a tenth where she shares top billing with Mark Knopfler.  I think of her career in two parts, and “Roses in the Snow” is the last of five albums I have of hers spanning 1975-1980.  Of those five I would put it third or fourth, and out of all nine probably fifth or sixth.

Rating:  3 stars but very close to 4

Emmylou Harris’ voice, so heavenly on its own, has an amazing quality to blend with and support anyone else fortunate enough to sing with her.  It is therefore hardly surprising that she would eventually make an album of bluegrass themed music with “Roses in the Snow.”

The opening and title track establishes the mood, with smooth Kentucky fiddle playing and banjo picking, and those sounds will carry through the entire record.  As with every Emmylou album I have from this early period, the musicianship on this record is absolutely incredible.  Harris’ husband and collaborator, Brian Ahern consistently pulls together the best the country, folk and bluegrass genres have to offer.  He then lets them excel in tight little songs where they selflessly settle down in the mix behind Emmylou’s vocals, taking centre stage when called on, but never showing off unless it serves the song.

The best example of this is on the album’s big hit, the traditional classic “Wayfaring Stranger.” Tiny half-solos of acoustic guitar, mandolin and dobro all work their way around Emmylou’s quavering but powerful voice.  And what a voice it is, as Emmylou shines on this song like she does on few others.  Just like the lyrics to the song, her voice is rough and steep, with the promise of beauteous fields just over the next rise.  I’m not sure how Emmylou is so able to sound both fragile and powerful at the same time; I suspect some sort of alchemy.

Bluegrass music being what it is, there are a lot of devotionals on “Roses in the Snow” all of which well rendered.  “Green Pastures” and “Jordan” are both strong examples of the genre, with high harmonies, and Emmylou first blending in to strengthen them, and occasionally capping the top with a high note no one else can hit.  When she does this it is the vocal equivalent of a ray of sunshine coming in over the top of the clouds after a light rainstorm.

Harris also tackles Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” putting a bluegrass spin on the arrangement.  It is a solid effort, although I found myself preferring the original.  Harris’ is good, but it is hard to follow on the perfection of the original.

My remastered version of the album also has a remake of Hank Williams’ “You’re Gonna Change” which I liked a lot more.  I think it rivals the original, which is saying something.  She hits the crazy high notes at the end of each stanza with a sharp keen that is just the right amount of imperfect to capture the tension of the ultimatum being delivered in the song.  Harris could easily make that last note more pure if she wanted to, but her decision to keep it just a bit rough is an example of her great instincts as a singer.

The only thing about the album that was a bit disappointing was how often Emmylou sings almost entire songs in harmonies, instead of solo.  The songs are written for that, but she is so strong I wanted to hear more of her.  Songs like “Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn” would be that much better if it were just her on the chorus, and not having to share verses with Ricky Skaggs.  This isn’t a fault of the record, or even Ricky, but merely my personal taste.

The album ends with another bonus track not on the original vinyl:  “Root Like a Rose” which has a Celtic feel that made me wishing Emmylou did more in this style.  It starts off with a wistful penny whistle, the perfect offset to Emmylou’s voice singing about homesickness.

Root Like a Rose” had me thinking of my last Gordon Lightfoot review and the track “Hi’Way Song” so I did a little digging to see where it came from.  The song was written by someone named Nancy Ahern, the lead singer of a seventies folk band from Canada called Stringband.  The internet is spotty on details here, but given that Emmylou’s husband and producer is Brian Ahern, and he is also from Canada, I’m going to go out on a limb and say Nancy was his sister.

The Aherns are from Nova Scotia, and the lyrics to “Root Like a Rose” are hauntingly beautiful homage to their home province:

“Take me home
To the sand and the foam
Where my dreams walk in the mist
I’ll fall to the earth and root like a rose
In the salt land
That gave me my verse.”

I’m excited to find the original Stringband version somewhere, but Emmylou’s version sings it with such a passion you’re sure it was her that was born in Halifax.  In fact, hearing her sing it makes me feel like I’m pining for Nova Scotia.  To all those vinyl holders out there that don’t have this track, my deepest sympathies.

Best tracks:  Roses in the Snow, Wayfaring Stranger, Jordan, You’re Gonna Change, Root Like a Rose

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