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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanging Up My HeartHank DeVito | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | Invitation to the BluesRoger Miller | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Spanish DancerPatti Scialfa | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 4 | Open Season on My HeartRodney Crowell, James Thomas Slater | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Chase the FeelingKris Kristofferson | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | Black CaffeineDonivan Cowart, Hank DeVito | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 7 | Dreaming My DreamsAllen Reynolds | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 8 | Bluebird WineRodney Crowell | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Back When We Were BeautifulMatraca Berg | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 10 | Here We AreRodney Crowell | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 11 | Bull RiderRodney Crowell | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 12 | Old Yellow MoonHank DeVito, Lynn Langham | Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 41 mins | 94 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 223 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Ahern | Bass (Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric Baritone), Producer |
| 2 | Shannon Ahern | Production Assistant |
| 3 | Chuck Ainlay | Engineer |
| 4 | John Baldwin | Assistant Engineer |
| 5 | Matraca Berg | Composer |
| 6 | James Burton | Guitar (Electric) |
| 7 | Donivan Cowart | Composer, Engineer |
| 8 | Chad Cromwell | Drums |
| 9 | Dennis Crouch | Bass |
| 10 | Rodney Crowell | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Primary Artist |
| 11 | Hank DeVito | Composer |
| 12 | Stuart Duncan | Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin |
| 13 | Larry Franklin | Fiddle |
| 14 | Paul Franklin | Guitar (Steel) |
| 15 | Vince Gill | Gut String Guitar, Vocal Harmony |
| 16 | Marco Giovani | Drums |
| 17 | Emory Gordy | Bass |
| 18 | Glen D. Hardin | Piano (Electric) |
| 19 | Emmylou Harris | Guitar (Acoustic), Primary Artist, Tambourine |
| 20 | Jeri Heiden | Design |
| 21 | John Hobbs | Piano |
| 22 | Jim Hoke | Accordion |
| 23 | Jedd Hughes | Guitar (Electric) |
| 24 | David Hungate | Arco Bass, Bass |
| 25 | John Jorgenson | Guitar (Electric), Mandolin |
| 26 | Kris Kristofferson | Composer |
| 27 | Lynn Langham | Composer, Piano |
| 28 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 29 | David McClister | Photography |
| 30 | Roger Miller | Composer |
| 31 | Noland O'Boyle | Assistant Engineer |
| 32 | Bill Payne | Hammond B3, Piano |
| 33 | Mickey Raphael | Bass Harmonica |
| 34 | Allen Reynolds | Composer |
| 35 | Michael Rhodes | Bass |
| 36 | Patti Scialfa | Composer |
| 37 | James Thomas Slater | Composer |
| 38 | Steuart Smith | Electric Slide Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Mandocello |
| 39 | Tommy Spurlock | Guitar (Steel) |
| 40 | John Ware | Drums |
| 41 | Reese Wynans | Piano |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |