Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems (2007)

The difference between a career retrospective and a greatest hits album is mostly in the intent. On Songbird, Harris collects four CDs-worth of material that is most integral and poignant from her entire career. This includes recordings with Gram Parsons and her more recent collaborations with Mark Knopfler, as well as favorite songs from her decades-long recording career.

Other highlights from early years include the previously unreleased recording of "Falling in a Deep Hole"—a simply, lovely tune about longing, loneliness and desire. Accompanied only by piano and guitar, Harris' poetic vocals showcase her entire range—from soft, quiet whispers to an arresting, strong belting.

Some of the greatest highlights come from Emmylou's myriad collaborations. Most notable are the songs included here from her all-star recordings with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. "Palms of Victory" is a gospel tune with undeniable power and presence, as is "Softly and Tenderly."

There's also an impressive collaboration with Patty Griffin, "Beyond the Blue," from the soundtrack to the film Where the Heart Is. The two singers' voices are perfect complements to one another, soaring through the song. "First in Line" is another glorious collaboration with country singer John Starling, whose husky baritone is a gorgeous accompaniment, rooting Emmylou's smooth, lovely soprano.

Other excellent collaborations included here are tunes Emmylou has recorded with Steve Earle, Mary Black, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sheryl Crow, the Pretenders and Beck.

There's no secret as to why Emmylou Harris has won 12 Grammy Awards in her nearly four decades on the national music scene. It's not just her pretty, crystal-clear voice that makes her a national musical treasure. It's also her impeccable taste in song choice, arrangements and collaborators.

As Songbird attests, Harris' career has touched so many genres of music that it's almost silly to label her as anything other than a well-rounded singer/songwriter. Each style she touches, she performs so well that it becomes an inspiration to others. From country tunes like "Highway of Heartache" (with Carl Jackson) and "Don't Let Our Love Die" to folkier songs like "Snowin' on Raton," and beyond, Harris has a command for fluidity, poignancy and staying power.

Songbird is an excellent introduction to her work for its inclusion of rare and unreleased recordings, or a good opportunity to celebrate this incredibly talented artist for her more devoted fans.

The sweet voice of Emmylou Harris is a country standard and it is represented well in a new box set titled Songbird: Rare Tracks And Forgotten Gems. With the sample disc I received, I got a good sense of a voice that has always grabbed my attention.

Emmylou Harris was born in 1947 to a military family stationed in Birmingham, AL and grew up in the south. While attending the University of North Carolina, she developed a serious liking for the folk music sounds of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Thus prompting her to form a duo, leave UNC, move to New York and engulf herself in the Greenwich Village scene. While there, she would make the friends that would help her complete her debut album Gliding Bird. After its release the record label went under, leaving Emmylou with nothing and forcing her to move back to her parents who now lived in Washington D.C.

In D.C. she met members of the Flying Burrito Brothers who would hook her up with the young country rock pioneer Gram Parsons. He had been looking for a female voice to accompany him on his solo records and Emmylou was it. She would tour with him and his band and sing harmony on his two albums G.P. and Grievous Angel, the latter would become his most significant solo album. Although he tragically died soon after its recording, it continuing to have an impact.

Not long after Parsons passed Emmylou signed with Warner Bros/Reprise and recorded numerous albums and singles with the label into the ‘90s. After leaving Warners and moving to Asylum Records, she continued to release new music, refusing to become a nostalgic stage act. Throughout her career Emmylou would perform with many other great voices including Roy Orbison, Neil Young, Rodney Crowell, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and let’s not forget Willie Nelson and George Jones. But it was with Parton and Ronstadt that Harris would record the extremely popular Trio and Trio II albums, which produced the hits “To Know Him Is To Love Him” (the Phil Spector Classic) and “Telling Me Lies.” It is from Trio that I first heard Emmylou Harris’ angelic voice for the first time.

Songbird breaks away from being a greatest-hits box and focuses on material that might not have been heard before by most folks. This is great because it turns the focus from just a song’s popularity to her amazing vocals. My sample disc opens with “Beyond The Blue” and is a perfect example of the power of her voice. With lines like “This life is but a dream” she sounds as if she is a mother gently whispering comfort to her fallen child or consoling them after a death in the family.

“Clocks” is a tune that has piano and guitar work sounding like ticking clocks and the plucking of time as it moves along, bringing sunlight to a missing loved one’s face. Again with her humming, Emmylou sounds soothing yet sad and brings chills that make me play this somewhat dark tune over and over again.

Two gems of the disc are “Palms Of Victory” and “Softly And Tenderly,” which feature the trio that first set my ears alight. “Softly” begins with the heart-stopping sound of Emmylou’s voice and nothing else. After 35 seconds in another world, the gentle picking of a banjo slips in to lend a hand along with the soft strumming of a guitar and the slow bowing of a big bass fiddle. On many of the disc’s songs the traditional instruments of the bluegrass sound aid the magic of Emmylou’s voice.

There are songs that take on different country styles like the prairie, western campfire leanings of “All I Left Behind” with its acoustic guitars and lament of things left behind on the lost highway. Another number about the lonesome road is “Highway Of Heartache” with Carl Jackson supplying male vocals. This tunes picks up the pace a bit and has a solid rhythm section with a low yet driving beat that shows Emmylou can move along just fine with something that swings a bit faster.

“Waltz Across Texas Tonight,” “Snowin’ On Raton,” and “Gone” are the songs outside of the Trio set I remember and love the most. “Waltz Across Texas” is a honky-tonk classic putting Emmylou in the company of country outlaw greats. “Gone” gives a wink and a nod to her hero Bob Dylan in its structure and lyrics. With piano, banjo, and electric and acoustic guitars these tunes bring it all together and capture the overall Emmylou Harris sound perfectly.

Her sweet and haunting vocals are soft yet contain a power that can move mountains and cause devils to cry. Even with great instruments and musicians behind her, Emmylou’s voice is what draws you in and holds you until she is done with a song. Her vocals take you wherever she goes, moving from a low whisper and quite hum to a soaring high-end note, held with perfection and marking a word with importance and forcing you to look at it and see it through her beautiful eyes. And yes, I do think that the woman is truly beautiful and it is reflected not only in her voice and good looks but in the way she carries herself in the media and throughout her life. Songbird is a wonderful look at that life and career.

Tracklists:

Disc: 1
01. Clocks (alternate version)
02. The Angels Rejoiced Last Night (Gram Parsons)
03. The Old Country Baptizing (Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels)
04. Coats of Many Colors
05. For No One
06. Ooh Las Vegas
07. Satan's Jewel Crown
08. Tulsa Queen
09. My Songbird
10. Green Rolling Hills
11. One Paper Kid (Willie Nelson)
12. Sorrow In The Wind
13. Rough And Rocky
14. Jordan (Johnny Cash)
15. Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn
16. Ashes by Now (Dr. John)
17. How High The Moon
18. Spanish Johnny (Waylon Jennings)
19. The Lst Cheaters Waltz
20. Racing In The Streets
21. Like An Old Fashioned Waltz

Disc: 2
01. The Sweethearts of the Rodeo (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill & Gail Davies)
02. When I Was Yours
03. My Fathers House
04. Bright Morning Stars
05. When He Calls
06. Lonely Street
07. Brand New Dance
08. Get Up John
09. If I Could Be There
10. Ballad Of A Runaway House
11. Going Back To Harlan
12. Sweet Old World
13. All My Tears (Live)
14. Prayer In Open D (Live)
15. Bang The Drum Slowly
16. Boy From Tupelo
17. Lost Unto This World
18. Man Is An Island
19. Cup Of Kindness

Disc: 3
01. Falling In a Deep Hole (previously unreleased)
02. 1917 (Linda Ronstadt)
03. Palms of Victory (previously unreleased - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt)
04. Softy and Tenderly (previously unreleased - Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt)
05. My Dear Companion (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstatt)
06. Mary Danced with Soldiers (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
07. I Don't Love You Much Do I (Guy Clark)
08. All I Left Behind (previously unreleased)
09. I Remember You (Steve Earle)
10. Golden Ring (Linda Ronstadt and Anna & Kate McGarrigle
11. Sonny (Dolores Keanes, Mary Black)
12. In The Garden (previously unreleased)
13. Love Still Remains
14. Snake Song
15. Hobo's Lullaby
16. Wondering
17. Immigrant Eyes (previously unreleased)
18. Juanita (Sheryl Crow)
19. She (Pretenders)
20. Sin City (Beck)
21. Wheels (The Seldom Scene)

Disc: 4
01. Beyond The Blue (Patty Griffin)
02. First In Line (previously unreleased - John Starling)
03. Highway of Heartache (previously unreleased - Carl Jackson)
04. ALone And Forsaken (Mark Knopfler)
05. Child of Mine
06. Heaven Ain't Ready For You Yet
07. Wish We Were Back In Missouri
08. Mama's Hungry Eyes with Rodney Crowell
09. Here We Are (George Jones)
10. Waltz Across Texas Tonight (previously unreleased)
11. Snowin' On Raton (previously unreleased)
12. Gone (previously unreleased)
13. Don't Let Our Love Die (previously unreleased)
14. The Pearl (Live)
15. Wildwood Flower (Randy Scruggs, Iris DeMent)
16. Love And Happiness (Mark Knopfler)
17. When We're Gone, Long Gone (Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton)

Personnel: Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, George Jones, Mark Knopfler, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Dr. John, Waylon Jennings, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Randy Scruggs, Band, Carl Jackson, Pretenders, Gram Parsons, Iris DeMent, Patty Griffin, Beck, Guy Clark, Kate McGarrigle, John Starling, Seldom Scene, Mary Black, Gail Davies, Delores Keane

Quality: VBR (Lame 3.97 Preset Extreme) 44100 Joint Stereo
Size: 475.67MB
Genre: Country | Folk | Country Rock | Bluegrass | Songwriter

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