By BRIAN Q. NEWCOMB
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
10/18/2003
MUSIC
For most of her career, Emmylou Harris has avoided being pigeonholed as the sweetheart of the rodeo, a conventional country-music singer. On the other hand, her appearance on the "Down From the Mountain" tour last summer proved she hadn't cut those ties entirely.
Playing to a solid crowd at the Pageant on Thursday night, Harris, 56, and her band Spyboy emphasized new music from her "Stumble Into Grace" CD but served up enough of her old catalog to please fans both old and new.
With the opener "Here I Am," Harris declared that she's going to continue to make music that matters. "Orphan Girl" led into "Wayfaring Stranger," one of many songs emphasizing spirituality.
She jokingly apologized for "Jupiter Rising," a pop-oriented song that's has a happy tone.
"OK, back to the sad stuff," she said introducing "Two More Bottles of Wine" and Townes Van Zandt's classic "Pancho & Lefty."
"Red Dirt Girl" led into a rocker by Rodney Crowell that allowed Spyboy guitarist Buddy Miller to play one of the many hearty and creative guitar solos he delivered throughout the night. "Time in Babylon" emphasized the band's ability to flesh out the often dense arrangements of Harris' recent Malcolm Burn-produced discs. It's a real departure from the more conventional country outfits of her past - the Nash Ramblers and the Hot Band - but opens the door for a satisfying modern vibe.
But just as easily, Harris stripped "Strong Hand," a song for June Carter and Johnny Cash, back to its elegant melody and simple three-part harmonies from the Spyboys.
Other new-song highlights included "Little Bird" and "Cup of Kindness." These were interspersed with a fine cover of Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand" and Harris' own "The Pearl." Fans hoping for a return to country roots were treated to "One of These Days," "Calling My Children Home," "Together Again" and "Born to Run."
A sensuous cover of Daniel Lanois' spiritual "The Maker" allowed the rhythm section a chance to solo and brought the set to a close.
The first encore included the gentle country gospel of "Sin City," and Harris closed the evening with John Lennon's "Imagine," played solo on acoustic guitar, a reminder that her fine voice requires little more than a good song to shine.
Miller opened the show with a crisp set of songs from his solo CDs on Hightone Records, including the gritty country blues of "The Price of Love" and the fun pop-rock of "Little Bitty Kiss."