Red Dirt Girl

Performer: Emmylou Harris
Artist: Dave Matthews; Patty Griffin; Bruce Springsteen; Patti Scialfa; Kate McGarrigle
Engineer: Jim Watts
Producer: Malcolm Burn
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Emmylou Harris (vocals); Dave Matthews, Patty Griffin (vocals); Buddy Miller, Ethan Johns (guitar); Daryl Johnson (bass); Carlo Nuccio (drums); Bruce Springsteen, Patty Scialfa, Kate McGarrigle, Jill Cunniff. RED DIRT GIRL won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Personnel: Emmylou Harris (acoustic guitar); Patti Scialfa (vocals); Malcolm Burn (guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, tambourine, drum programming); Ethan Johns (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandocello, omnichord, drums); Darryl Johnson (electric guitar, drums, percussion); Jill Cunniff, Buddy Miller (electric guitar); Kate McGarrigle (accordion, piano); Jim Watts, John Deaderick (Fender Rhodes piano); Carlo Nuccio (drums). Recording information: Clouet Street Studio, New Orleans, LA (03/2000-04/2000); New Orleans, LA (03/2000-04/2000). Photographer: Michael Wilson . Unknown Contributor Role: Malcolm Burn. On her 29th album, Emmylou Harris continues the evolution from innocent folkie to present day renaissance woman. Alternately sparse and lush, Red Dirt Girl can be seen as a companion piece to 1995's Wrecking Ball with the production credits going to Malcom Burn (who previously worked with Harris engineering and mixing Wrecking Ball). Here, drum loops and middle eastern melodies nestle in comfortably next to warm guitar work and Harris' gently wavering voice. Her extensive guest work on dozens and dozens of recent releases (showing up on albums by everyone from Guy Clark to Midnight Oil) pays off with great help from Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Buddy and Julie Miller, Guy Clark, Kate McGarrigle, and even alt-rock upstarts Dave Matthews and Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff. The diverse production only adds to Harris' earthy songwriting, adding interest to what could otherwise be lulls during the more subdued songs, and really showcases the understated lyrics that the singer has slowly become recognized for. The teary dirge "Bang the Drum Slowly" written for her father (who died in 1993) wrings with emotion and ethereal atmosphere, while "J'ai Fait Tout" (co-written with Cunniff) is an upbeat and jangly pop song, complete with hip-shakin' tambourine. While this is a big departure from her rootsy '70s releases like Blue Kentucky Girl and Roses in the Snow, it still burns with an honest intensity and clear voice that Harris is known for 20 years later. ~ Zac Johnson Primarily known as an interpreter of artists ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan to Townes Van Zandt and David Olney, for RED DIRT GIRL Emmylou Harris composed most of the material herself, the first time she'd done this since 1985's BALLAD OF SALLY ROSE. This follow-up to 1995's splendid Daniel Lanois-produced WRECKING BALL finds her applying that album's same ethereal touch, thanks to Lanois protege Malcom Burn who helms this project's production. Harris' inspiration ranges far and wide, and includes her late father (the aching "Bang the Drum Slowly"), the poet Carl Sandberg (a shimmering "Michelangelo"), and the film BOYS DON'T CRY (the folky title track). Although famous guests pop up throughout, their appearances are of an organic nature rather than some crass marketing ploy. The wah-wah guitar of Luscious Jackson's Jill Cuniff adds heft to the undulating electro beats of "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now," while the harmonies provided by husband-and-wife team Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa add another dimension to the love lament "Tragedy." Elsewhere, Dave Matthews' vocals provide a hand-in-glove fit with Harris' angelic timbre on the swirling "My Antonia."

Entertainment Weekly (9/15/00, p.79) - "...Full of love in all its aching permutations...GIRL shimmers with poetic imagery and soul." - Rating: A Q (1/01, p.92) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000". Q (10/00, p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[A] powerful new record that continues [her previous record, WRECKING BALL's] heavy/ethereal vibe....this is contemporary country of a kind never envisaged by Nashville..." Uncut (10/00, p.90) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...A wonderfully emotional and honest record, filled with thrillingly evocative songs which finds her staking out some new, undefined space between contemporary folk, alt. country and alternative rock..." CMJ (10/2/00, p.24) - "...Spectacular...leading one to wonder why she doesn't write more often - the dozen songs are like a book of short stories..." Down Beat (3/01, p.73) - 4 out of 5 - "...Her anguished soprano is in fine form, and WRECKING BALL's sonic fabric still prevails: acoustic instrumentation with rock and ambient shards and shadings." No Depression (9-10/00, pp.111-2) - "...[It] builds its sound from some solid sources....largely midtempo, familiar pop....There are songs that tell stories that jump out at you, and lyrics with traction..." Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.88) - "...An album to shatter your heart and lift your soul....[Her] greatest strength here remains her voice..."

Emmylou Harris first came to public attention as Gram Parsons's singing partner, but her solo career took off after his passing. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, she was a major force in progressive country, championing the works of great songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Paul Siebel. By the '90s, the eclecticism that she'd always practiced came to full bloom in the hands of producer Daniel Lanois, especially on her milestone 1995 album, WRECKING BALL.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25