Emmylou Harris - Evangeline
#50
By Tami Fitzkoff
January 1981
Emmylou Harris
Evangeline
Genre: Country Harris-ment
Allen’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Tami’s Rating: 2 out of 5 (that’s being nice)
Highlights:
Evangeline
Mister Sandman
I was excited to listen to Emmylou Harris’s early work considering her song Red Dirt Girl (2003) is one of the most beautiful, raw and harrowing songs I have ever heard—it’s in my top ten of all time. It literally brings me to tears every time I hear it. Seriously, go listen to that song now. I’ll wait. But this album? Oy to the vey! Blech! It’s not even worth discount rack status. This record is clearly a forgettable mishmosh of songs written by other people sung by a young performer yet to find her true voice as a singer and a songwriter.
It’s clear in 1981 Emmylou is talented, even if the album is crap. Her vocal range is strong and reminds me so much of Linda Ronstadt’s voice from the song A Different Drum. And to my surprise, Linda Ronstadt (in addition to Dolly Parton) is actually on this album singing back-up on two songs Evangeline and Mister Sandman (cover). These two songs are the ONLY songs worth listening to on the album. And the cover of Mister Sandman might even be better than the original. Come to think of it, that’s all Evangeline should have been— these three ladies singing and harmonizing together.* They could sing the phone book as trio and it would be incredible.
But alas, reading the phonebook is more enticing than another listen to this record. Even with all the star power writers like Robbie Robertson, James Taylor and Rodney Crowell and the great musicians like Waylon Jennings, Ricky Skaggs (who plays an incredible mandolin on the song How High The Moon), and Dr. John, this album is a snooze-fest. The worst song, oddly, is her cover of Bad Moon Rising. It’s like a hootenanny karaoke version — seriously mind-blowingly awful. Sorry Emmylou! Thank goodness you got better with age or, at least, found better producers.
*Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt actually did do an album together in 1987 called Trio. It was a #1 Billboard Top Country Album and it won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5dca8ENLImRo9oY42A6clX?si=fgkc48EfRdyOJgoWjf2WFQ
No comments:
Post a Comment