Emmylou Harris

Wrecking Ball

MY FAVORITE NEW RELEASE OF THE LAST DECADE

Review Score:

(10/10)
It's hard to imagine how one's previous opinion of fringe-of-the-country folk-rock singer Emmylou Harris would mean much at all in the presence of Wrecking Ball, one of the brightest musical surprises of the last decade. For diehard fans who love Emmylou's traditional bluegrass and country-pickin', this might come as a shock at no end. For those who haven't enjoyed a single lick she and her partners have laid down in the past 30 years, Wrecking Ball just might drive them to enroll in the lady's fan club. It's that darn strange. Stylish producer (U-2) Daniel Lanois' production, with its maze of reverb and synthetics, may confound traditionalists, forcing them out of their comfort zone -- to listen in new ways, to be exposed to unusual colorings of sound. Harris' voice, engulfed in and funneled through that Lanois fog, might tease and frustrate and appear to be out of sync. But let it be known, Wrecking Ball is a richly ambitious and successful modern folk experiment that succeeds on many levels. The least of which is the pair's selection of songs, each meticulously hand-picked. It's hard to lose with winners like the McGarrigle sisters' "Goin' Back to Harlan," Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World," and Gillian Welch's "Orphan Girl" -- all destined to be dubbed modern classics. Brave, bold, and powerful, Wrecking Ball is a breakthrough in folk music that takes us to a new level of presentation without overlooking the essential ingredients needed to pull it off. A most enjoyable turn in Emmylou's long road.

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