Details
Track Listing
1. Pearl, The
2. Michaelangelo
3. I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now
4. Tragedy
5. Red Dirt Girl
6. My Baby Needs a Shepherd
7. Bang the Drum Slowly
8. J'ai Fait Tout - (French)
9. One Big Love - (with Patty Griffin)
10. Hour of Gold
11. My Antonia - (with Dave Matthews)
12. Boy From Tupelo
Album 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.
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."
Industry Reviews
Included in Q's 50 Best Albums of 2000.
Q (01/01/2001)
...[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...
No Depression (09/01/2000)
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.
Down Beat (03/01/2001)
...Spectacular...leading one to wonder why she doesn't write more often - the dozen songs are like a book of short stories...
CMJ (10/02/2000)
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...
Uncut (10/01/2000)
...An album to shatter your heart and lift your soul....[Her] greatest strength here remains her voice...
Mojo (10/01/2000)
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...
Q (10/01/2000)
...Full of love in all its aching permutations...GIRL shimmers with poetic imagery and soul. - Rating: A
Entertainment Weekly (09/15/2000)
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