Monday, October 06, 2003
Concert Review
Emmylou Harris graces Seattle with sounds of new album,
Americana
By Rachel Devitt
Special to The Seattle Times
Most of her Seattle concert was devoted to her newest album, Stumble Into Grace.
Emmylou Harris is simply one of the most gorgeous individuals on the face of the planet — gorgeous in every possible application of the word and in the iconic, enigmatic way of aging movie stars and gritty rural landscapes.
Harris is country by way of Washington, D.C., her voice is thin and not even always in tune, and she performs with the immobility of a Buckingham Palace guard. But she has become the epitome of all that is timeless, beautiful and vibrant in country music — and rightly so, judging by her performance Friday evening at the Moore.
Buddy Miller, gravel-voiced guitarist and longtime Harris collaborator, opened the show with his unique blend of sleepy country blues, thick electric guitar and vintage country rock licks.
Then, joined by Miller, phenomenal drummer Brady Blade and bassist Darryl Johnson (who, together, make up Spyboy, Harris' band), Emmylou took the stage. A walking country sampler, Harris proceeded to give a live demonstration of her brilliantly varied interpretation of country music.
Harris paid tribute to mentor Gram Parsons' psychedelic country rock with a cover of The Flying Burrito Brothers' "Wheels." She referenced the legacy of Johnny and June Carter Cash with "Strong Hand (Just One Miracle)," which she wrote in honor of their storied love. And she acknowledged her own extraordinary 30-year career with favorites like the old-school ballad "Together Again" (her first No. 1 hit) and "The Maker," which sounds like an old friend to her voice.
But much of Harris' show was devoted to the ethereal, eclectic alt country of her newest album, aptly named Stumble Into Grace.
Emmylou Harris happened almost accidentally upon country music and performs it so skillfully that she seems to have been created solely as an ode to ageless Americana. And new songs like the syncopated, Arab-tinged "Time in Babylon," the poignantly old-timey "Can You Hear Me Now," and "Little Bird," based on the shifting meters of a Peruvian instrumental piece, with lyrics co-written by folk mainstays Kate and Anna McGarrigle, demonstrated that Harris has a pretty complex and accurate idea of what Americana is.
Emmylou Harris' voice has the same quiet, understated power as her beauty. She is infused with this quintessential grace that crosses the intangible allure of Debbie Harry's imposing, otherworldly air with the reedy weariness of Willie Nelson's voice and determined country authenticity.
Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company