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Overview

This was a long time coming; given its relaxed execution, one wonders what took so long. Old Yellow Moon is an album of duets between Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. He was a rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist in her Hot Band in the mid-'70s. After he left, he continued contributing songs to her recordings for nearly two decades. This marks a reunion of more than just Harris and Crowell. Brian Ahern, who produced her early Warner recordings helms these sessions with Hot Band members James Burton, John Ware, and Bill Payne making appearances, as well as heavy hitters Vince Gill, Stuart Duncan, and Steuart Smith, to name a few. Though recorded in Nashville, the sound of this recording is posited somewhere between the Southern California country sound of the early '70s and some of Music City's more adventurous sounds in the middle and late years of that decade. The song choices are as eclectic as one would expect. Some of the set's highlights include a smokin' redo of "Bluebird Wine," which appeared as the opening cut on Harris' classic Pieces of the Sky album. This version has some fine-tuned lyrics in the first two verses -- Crowell was only 21 when he wrote it. The readings of Roger Miller's "Invitation to the Blues" and Allen Reynolds' "Dreaming My Dreams" are beautifully executed standards. There are three excellent cuts here by Hank DeVito, another original member of the Hot Band. They include the midtempo, hard country opener "Hanging Up My Heart," the bluesy "Black Caffeine," and the title cut, a lilting waltz that closes the record. Crowell also contributed "Open Season on My Heart" (originally recorded by Tim McGraw), the languid pedal steel honky tonk ballad "Here We Are," and the back porch "Bull Rider." Kris Kristofferson's "Chase the Feeling" is given a rumbling, punchy, country-rock treatment here. Harris largely goes it alone on Patti Scialfa's "Spanish Dancer," in a radically different reading than the songwriter's, but Gill's gut string guitar, Jim Hoke's spare accordion, and Crowell's hushed harmony on the chorus offer a more picaresque take. The only misstep here should have been a natural: Matraca Berg's wonderful "Back When We Were Beautiful," recorded by the songwriter in 1997, feels forced; it lacks the stark drama of the original, replacing it instead it with a nostalgia that isn't true to the song. While this doesn't carry the weight of an "historic" recording, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Harris is in better voice than she's been in years and Crowell is a natural as a duet partner. Let's hope they consider Old Yellow Moon more than just a one-off, "bucket list" album. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date: 02/26/2013
Label: Nonesuch
UPC: 0075597959994

Tracks

  1. Hanging Up My Heart
  2. Invitation to the Blues
  3. Spanish Dancer
  4. Open Season on My Heart
  5. Chase the Feeling
  6. Black Caffeine
  7. Dreaming My Dreams
  8. Bluebird Wine
  9. Back When We Were Beautiful
  10. Here We Are
  11. Bull Rider
  12. Old Yellow Moon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Emmylou Harris   Primary Artist,Tambourine,Guitar (Acoustic)
Rodney Crowell   Primary Artist,Guitar (Acoustic)
Bill Payne   Piano
Dennis Crouch   Bass
Mickey Raphael   Bass Harmonica
Larry Franklin   Fiddle
James Burton   Guitar (Electric)
David Hungate   Bass
John Hobbs   Piano
Chad Cromwell   Drums
Emory Gordy Jr.   Bass
Vince Gill   Vocal Harmony,Gut String Guitar
John Jorgenson   Mandolin,Guitar (Electric)
Jim Hoke   Accordion
Reese Wynans   Piano
Brian Ahern   Bass (Acoustic),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric Baritone)
Tommy Spurlock   Guitar (Steel)
Glen D. Hardin   Piano (Electric)
Steuart Smith   Mandocello,Guitar (Electric)
Jedd Hughes   Guitar (Electric)
Michael Rhodes   Bass
Stuart Duncan   Banjo,Fiddle,Mandolin
John Ware   Drums
Lynn Langham   Piano
Marco Giovani   Drums
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)

Technical Credits

Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Chuck Ainlay   Engineer
Roger Miller   Composer
Rodney Crowell   Composer
Matraca Berg   Composer
Brian Ahern   Producer
Hank DeVito   Composer
Donivan Cowart   Composer,Engineer
Patti Scialfa   Composer
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
Noland O'Boyle   Assistant Engineer
David McClister   Photography
Jeri Heiden   Design
John Baldwin   Assistant Engineer
Lynn Langham   Composer
James Thomas Slater   Composer
Shannon Ahern   Production Assistant
Allen Reynolds   Composer
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