I read that this live album was meant to serve as a promotion for the Hot Band, the group Emmylou had brought along to support her. It certainly does that. From the opening track through to the final applause, what you notice first isn’t how much more earnest Harris’s voice sounds after she wears it out a little bit but the rollicking, honky tonking, freewheeling band behind her.
emmylou harris
Record #156: Emmylou Harris – Roses in the Snow (1980)
I only bought this record because it has Wayfaring Stranger on it, but its bluegrass leanings mixed with Emmylou’s firm, gentle delivery and her selection of songs (including Simon & Garfunkle’s The Boxer!) make for a fine listen that proves Harris is not just a master of melancholy.
Record #155: Emmylou Harris – Pieces of the Sky (1975)
It’s almost strange hearing Emmylou Harris singing on her own. She’s sung duets with everyone, from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan to Ryan Adams to Bright Eyes to Jack White to Gram Parsons, who first brought her into the public view.