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
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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