Emmylou Harris: Red Dirt Girl (Grapevine)
Long-awaited and long overdue and, on balance, long worth the wait, Emmylou Harris's studio follow-up to 1995's Wrecking Ball is cloaked in the same misty, atmospheric sound that proved so evocative and inspiring last time around. There is, however, no Daniel Lanois at the controls, but associate Malcolm Burn carries the flame admirably, helped by the likes of Buddy and Julie Miller, Kate McGarrigle and Dave Matthews. But the biggest surprise is that all the songs, with one exception, were either written or co-written by the alt. country's most distinctive voice. This makes for an intense and compelling reading of Emmylou's back pages and for some very fine songs, not the least of which is the title track. Other strong tracks include the melodic drone of J'ai Fait Tout and Tragedy and the beautiful closer, Boy From Tupelo.
- Joe Breen
Chuck Brodsky: Last of the Old Time (Red House records)
Brodsky is new to me, but this North Carolina-born singer/songwriter has released a number of albums packed with his friendly, humorous and tuneful flavours of Americana. Last of the Old Time has downhome arrangements of twangy acoustic guitar, accordion and such like underpinning his pithy take on the human condition. Love, lust, bribery and baseball are among the subjects covered in his colourful recalls and his wheezy Dylan/John Prine vocals catch just the right tone of smalltown sceptic. Perhaps he is a mite too soft; his lash at Bill Clinton, He Came to Our Town, is not exactly revolution-inducing. Better his story-telling, particularly his tale of Bonehead Merkle, a baseball star who made the wrong move and suffered forever. This is in general endearing, thoughtful material, delivered with quiet passion.
- Joe Breen