Hard Bargain
Nonesuch***
Admirers of Emmylou Harris will find much that is intriguing in this sumptuous set. Her reputation rests on her ability as a singer of other people’s songs, but her own muse has awoken in recent years, and 12 of the 13 tracks are her own, with variable results.
As befits a woman of 64, Harris's themes include loneliness and reflections on the passing of time and old friends such as Kate McGarrigle. Her
Darlin' Kateis a moving paean to her friend performed in McGarrigle Sisters' style, while the rich setting of
The Roadchronicles her oft-cited time with Gram Parsons.
She is candid about age and isolation in
Nobodyand
Lonely Girl, but one of the standout tracks is
My Name Is Emmett Till, her ballad of quiet outrage at the shocking death of a 14-year-old black boy in Mississippi in 1955 (Amy Lashley's album also includes a fine song on the incident).
See emmylouharris.com
Download: Darlin' Kate, M y Name is Emmett Till
