Left of the Dial	Emmylou Harris: Songbird by Donny Kutzbach

(Rhino)

Though she’d likely be modest about it, as you’d expect any good Alabama-born, Carolina-bred lady would be, Emmylou Harris has got what’s probably the greatest voice country music can claim these days. Hell, she’d probably be too coy to call her herself a country artist. Fair enough, since she’s plenty rock and roll, too. Still, the doomed country-rocker Gram Parsons used the magical, high lonesomeness in Harris’ rangey, lilting soprano to give his own songs more earthy authenticity—to make them more country. She’s since worked with everyone from Bob Dylan and the Band to Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, to Neil Young and Mark Knopfler, to Gillian Welch and Ryan Adams. Yet her highest achievements have been under her own name, equipped with top-shelf backing cohorts like the Hot Band featuring pioneering guitarist James Burton and Spyboy including Buddy Miller. The boxing up of all of this is Songbird, which finds Harris picking, choosing and compiling her favorite moments—largely lost and unheralded tracks—from her nearly 40 years in music. The 12-time Grammy winner has a lot of fine moments to cull from for this stunning five-disc compendium. In addition to key selections from her work with Parsons, she includes duets with everyone from the immortal Johnny Cash (“Jordan”) to the Pretenders (“Ooh Las Vegas”), and she is found delivering transcendent interpretations, like her emotional take on Leonard Cohen’s “Ballad of a Runaway Horse,” an immaculate refiguring of Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing in the Streets” and a stingingly perfect version of Guy Clark’s “Immigrant Eyes.” The fifth disc is a DVD that includes a monumental pair of mid-1970s appearances from the BBC music show Old Grey Whistle Test with the Hot Band and a version of “Love Hurts” with Elvis Costello that approaches her gold-standard version with Parsons. Included is a hardbound booklet chock with pictures and notes on each song in the set.

Questions or Comments for Artvoice? Send e-mail to editorial@artvoice.com • Article last modified 10/10/2007 Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v6n41: Double Vision (10/11/07) > Left of the Dial > Emmylou Harris: Songbird This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Events Calendar • Classifieds