Red Dirt Girl

I like this quite a bit, great original songs as opposed to covers which apparently is Harris's usual M.O.. There's nothing wrong with covers especially when the performer is a great interpreter like Harris or her friend Linda Ronstadt. It does make me wonder why though. Listening to the production I would've guessed Daniel Lanois had a hand in this, it reminded me of Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy. Turns out it was actually produced by Malcolm Burns who worked with Lanois over the years including on Oh Mercy. I must be some kind of genius. Anyway this is a gem featuring such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Kate McGarrigle, Patty Griffin, Dave Matthews, and Luscious Jackson's Jill Cuniff.

I remember when this album came out and I started hearing about it. I was like, Emmylou Harris? Isn't that the country singer? I don't like country! Turned out that I do like country - at least this type of country/folk/Americana music. The songs are great, Emmylou's voice is amazing, and goes perfectly with the classic Daniel Lanois sound. The song Red Dirt Girl alone is an all-time classic. It's one of those songs that's like watching a movie. It tells a story and you can picture it all. That song just destroys me. Yes, she tried hard to love him But it never did take Just another way for the heart to break So she learned to bend One thing they don't tell you about the blues When you got 'em You keep on fallin' 'cause there ain't no bottom There ain't no end at least not for Lillian Great album by a great lady. 4 stars.

Great songwriting, great voice, great album

A charming and engaging album, Emmylou Harris has an enchanting voice and these Americana tales are a cut above the rest.

I remember owning this album soon after it was released. It, to me at least, seemed to be part of a wave of Americana/Roots Music popularity that was sparked by the soundtrack of the 2000 film 'O, Brother Where Art Thou?', on which Emmylou Harris is one of the featured artists. It's an excellent album and Ms. Harris is superbly talented. I highly recommend the follow-up documentary, 'Down From The Mountain', which shows a performance of the music from the film and more, and in which we learn that Ms. Harris is an avid baseball fan. :)

I liked it

Beautiful and haunting. Very happy to see some of her solo work make it onto the list. Best track: Bang the Drum Slowly

If this was what country was like I’d listen to country

Lovely and thoughtful, but a coin flip whether this or Wrecking Ball is better. A bit heavy-handed on the production atmospherics -- the Lanois successor twiddling the knobs trying to out-Lanois Lanois apparently. Emmylou don't need all that. And while it's nice these are all her songs, the lyrics leave a good bit to be desired (e.g., "monkey/funky" rhyme in "One Big Love"). Dave Matthews add nothing. As befits the subject matter "Boy from Tupelo" is just about the best song – with a bonus from the shout out to Rickie Lee Jones, who easily merits inclusion in this book (for either the eponymous debut or Flying Cowboys [one's personal fave]), even if it cost Emmylou one of her three slots.

This is not really my type of music but I have to say, this was really good! I enjoyed it a lot.

A pleasent listen, I enjoyed the track with the breakbeat on but nothing too special to keep me coming back. One to remember when you want a chill afternoon.

Really chill and pleasant, but nothing world-changing for me.

fantastiskt! nu förstår jag henne

Great late career record with beautiful production I would have sworn to be the work of Daniel Lanois. Favorites: 'Michelangelo' and 'Bang the Drum Slowly'

thought this was going to be more country than it was

Emotional and lush Sound of Emmylou’s voice is memorizing

Decent album. I like this kind of warm, authentic sound, but it is not special or overwhelming enough for a five star rating.

Way better than I was expecting. Production clearly influenced by Alanis Morissette, and all the better for it.

I wasn't too familiar with her work, but had heard her name. I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I really really liked it, so much so that I want to explore her other work. Do I think it's the best album of all time, certainly not. It's no Sgt. Pepper, but it's a solid solid album that I really wanted to give a 5, but there's just not enough variety in the album for me that hurts it's relisted-ability, but her voice was entrancing and I hung on every word. Solid work and glad she's on this list. 4.5/5.

I like this artist, but I'm not country fan.

I enjoyed this album, but it was mostly just background music. Harris' vocals are just nice and smooth and this was a perfect chill out and vibe album. 3.5/5

Liked the title track a lot.

I like the blend of Americana, California folk rock and country on this album. Some really nice guitar work by Buddy Miller. Did not know that Bruce and Patti contributed vocals on one of the tracks and Dave Matthews on another. If I could give 3.5 stars I would, since I can’t I’ll round up.

Beautiful album, with a lush and (mostly) appropriate production. Not sure about the ‘chilled beats’ on Tragedy, but other than that, this was a tasteful ‘repositioning’ of Emmylou and her amazing voice. If I didn’t know otherwise, I’d assume this was a ‘new’ artist, but that voice betrays the years of experience that have gone into these songs. Definitely one to revisit.

While some thought is given to the album playlist this week being a bit more on the mellow side of things, "Red Dirt Girl" is still a welcome addition to that mood. Melodious and catchy, this is where rock, eh, country music should always find itself even in the midst of its own evolution. Heartfelt, incorporating country mythos into the modern romantic, this turn of the century album opposes with class the beer-in-one-hand-tractor-wheel-on-the-other bro-country that has plagued the genre with creepy misogyny and with questions as to whether or not Country has a place in music. Released in the year 2000, kicking off a decade where country had a bit of a pop resurgence, paving the way for Lambert, Musgrave, Swift, Underwood to cross over just enough and bring the genre back into being part of the bigger entertainment show. Where this album sets itself apart though is that it keeps the 'old' country in mind, telling a story that a city person could only fantasize about, paying homage to blues, and demonstrating the growth from a more folksy era. "Red Dirt Girl" is a surprising take on country music bringing a rock ensemble to play it.

Classic country bordering on folk. I got a strong feeling of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.

Nice mellow Americana music. Very cool

A fine selection of songs from one of Americana's most important singers. Favorites: The Pearl, Michelangelo, I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, Tragedy, Bang the Drum Slowly.

Solid effort from an artist I have no prior knowledge of, will definitely be checking her music out after this listen

nice chill

Nice country music!

That was a pleasant surprise. For some reason I was expecting forgettable 90's Country Radio country, what I got was some mellow and occasionally soulful folky Americana. Really rather pleasant.

3.5

Emmylou is a deserved legend. However, this record chooses to show off her band primarily. They effectively evoke the country tradition in more or less modern colors: It's a good direction for the genre, if not pack-leading. There's no loss in the move away from covers. The tracklist doesn't blur together, but there aren't any sharp turns. Just occasional journeys into especially beautiful sonic space, working on the soul. That's certainly a cheesy line, as the project comes in a pretty slick package.

Country pop melódico. Me ha gustado.

Nice

Easy listening country, with a couple of stand out tracks.

Country music became a huge part of my music tastes over the last 10 years and Emmylou is among my faves. This album is on regular repeat in my house.

better than expected

not bad

A very early 2000s album with its electronic pulse. The second side slump hits hard though.

Country but not *too* country, which is not good or bad, just descriptive. I really enjoyed this, especially 'Red Dirt Girl', 'One Big Love' (despite rhyming 'funky' and 'monkey'), 'Hour Of Gold'

chill vibes good stuff

Fine for country.

The artist were all new to me. A well produced album with nothing remarkable on for me but nonetheless an almost pleasant listen. Not easy to decide between two or three stars. 2,5

Not bad, actually really not bad

This is the album of an artist who has been through the music industry long enough to know exactly what she wanted and not care about anyone else’s opinions. I am sad to say I have little to compare this work against but this album was soulful, powerful, and daring to blend pop, folk, French electronica (played live on J’ai Fair tout), and country into one at the turn of the 20th century. There were a lot of key songs for me: the swaggering One Big Love; the Irish inspired My Baby Needs a Shepard; to the jam band groove of I Don’t Wanna Talk About It. She is definitely a legend. Now I have backtrack the her roots…

Mellow 2000s country crossover, reminds me of a slightly less twangy Leann Womack.

p859. 2000. 3 stars. Well done millennium country-rock. She's got a great voice, and there are a couple of standout songs, but there is also a lot of filler. Worth a listen, but not on repeat play.

As someone who's very picky about country music, this was decent. It's very mellow which makes it relaxing but also kinda boring. Feels like it goes on forever. Again, its decent but not worthy of being here. Favorite track: Red Dirt Girl

Considering the genre (folk/country) which is usually not my vibe, I actually didn’t mind it too much. A good listen mostly with some decently good songs here and there

A companion album to her seminal 1995 release Wrecking Ball. That album was a recent addition to my all-time favourites list after "Where Will I Be" brought me to tears but that's another story for another time. Red Dirt Girl released as the proper solo followup to Wrecking Ball and mostly follows the same approach that made Wrecking Ball the 1-of-1 dream country album it is. That album was produced by Daniel Lanois, hence the airy, spaced-out production. Here, Malcolm Burn mostly structures these songs the same way, using Harris' crystalline voice as a waypoint. There's a pretty good ratio of hits-to-misses using this approach but I fear the material just isn't as good as it was on the previous album; it's the same issue as Kid A vs. Amnesiac. All that aside, Harris' voice is still as devastatingly beautiful and ageless as ever; I could've sworn she was in her 30s when she made this, but it turns out she was about 20 years older than that! What I really like about her is her no-frills approach to her melodies; forget anything about rhinestone cowboys and city girls singing about rural life wearing $3000 boots that never saw a speck of dust, Emmylou Harris is the real deal. Musically the album often veers completely out of the country domain, like on the practically ambient "Bang the Drum Slowly" or the honest-to-God trip hop beat on "Tragedy." In typical Emmylou Harris fashion, there are all kinds of guest stars here, Bruce Springsteen to Dave Matthews being the most prominent among them. It's definitely an unconventional approach to an otherwise strictly traditional genre (Nashville would never allow "J'ai fait tout" on any big artist's tracklist in a million years.) But, having reach the 35-year milestone of her career, Emmylou Harris wasn't interested in listening to anyone's opinions on where her life and career were supposed to go, especially if it came from the same country radio fat cats who told her she was too old to have another hit. With all that said, the unconventional choices sometimes work against this album, where the otherwise country-folk stylings are electrified and become a vaguely trip hop-inspired stern pop that popped up all over this era. Emmylou Harris should not be sounding like the Beth Orton we have at home. That doesn't mean there aren't a few genuine gems on this one; my final recommendation is to listen to Wrecking Ball if you want to hear the sound of this album done right. Key Tracks: I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, J'ai fait tout, My Antonia

A slice of contemporary Americana to start the day, pleasant enough listening but pretty much void of anything that would ever bring me back to it. Mostly Harmless as Douglas Adams would say. I did listen all the way through, which I can't always bring myself to do on this app

The Pearl is a decent opener, and I enjoyed the title track. I could feel the emotion in Bang the Drum Slowly.

God bless lesbians ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜 Oh wait she's somehow not a lesbian oopsie my mistake

Overall it was okay though I started to get bored around halfway through.

I wish there'd been a bit more fire in the vocals but the album was still deserving of its place here.

On the one hand, it’s great to go back and hear a more modern (relatively speaking) era of an artist who has so much impact on singer-songwriters that I love today, like Phoebe Bridgers and Adrien Lenker. And Harris is a hell of songwriter at her best on this album. But this thing is too long for how blandly pleasant so much of the production is. This is closer to sonic wallpaper, at least to my ears.

Easy listening

I really liked the spacious, almost ethereal, feel that the production lends to these songs. It's quite unusual for country but feels like it serves the songs well. However, the songs themselves didn't particularly grab me for the most part.

On the fence with this one. At 55 minutes I'm hard pressed to give it another listen all the way through. Overall I found it to be just fine, nothing that jumped up and demanded notice. Is this essential listening? Doubtful. I'll bang the drum once more on the fact that this artist has 3 albums on the list while other artists have none. It was fine. It was good. It wasn't essential.

Not what I expected from a country album. Still the heartfelt lyrics and the religious references and the wavery, impassioned voice, but it's layered over processed drum machine beats as often as mellow acoustic guitars. It's not my genre, but I respect the talent.

Again, when you are obligated to choose 1001 albums, you are perhaps stretched this There is nothing remarkable about this LP. It's OK.

pleasant

I think she has better.

Pretty good. Nice album. Three stars

I am a little puzzled that, with 20 some odd albums to choose from by this artist, this one is on the list? Nothing bad, but this is a pretty nondescript affair. Better to cover others’ good songs well than to do boring originals? This barely has a pulse until “Bang the Drum Slowly” seven songs in, and then quickly loses momentum again. The good news is that her voice has deepened slightly with age, such that it is no longer thin and whiny, which was a problem when she was younger.

The instrumentation and production, I like. The songs could grow on me with more listens. I'm not keen on the vocal style, though, which feels overly mannered for my own tastes.

Eh, ok

Not on AM

Listening session: may 27th, while getting ready for drinks Listened to before: no Thoughts: quite pleasant as background music, but not really interesting or something I would come back to Favourite tracks: Michelangelo & I Don’t Wanna Talk About It Now

I really enjoyed some of the music on some of these songs, but not the whole track, which is unusual. There were some good melodies & guitar riffs that hooked me but I didn't end up liking the song enough to add it to my library. I love One Big Love - but I prefer Patty Griffin's version. Overall, this was alright but not standout. (3)

I recognize the integrity of this music, but it's not my thing.

Does this album feature the only appearance of Dave Matthews on the list? It’s gets bonus points if so and also just because My Antonia is excellent. This whole album sounds very warm. Her vocals are excellent and I really dig this style. Maybe a little long. Favorites were I Don’t Wanna Talk About It Now, One Big Love, and My Antonia.

5/10

Love her voice. I find it interesting this is her 19th album and the first one she wrote. Glad she got some recognition for it!

Pretty good.

Un disco que me gustó. Hubo distinciones. Igual llegué tarde porque lo escuche el día siguiente, por eso mi apuro por ponerlo.

Непонятно зачем? по моему рейтингу 2, но 3 - мне похуй я так чуствую

Good

Muy folk, me cayó bien

Coffee shop music (complementary) I’m a sucker for emotional folk music and this is no exception. Harris has a lot of albums too, so I suspect I’ll go deeper, even if there are only a couple of tracks that stick out to me.

Man, I love her voice but I don’t think this collection of songs really showcases it.

Gosh, I can’t say I have ever listened to an Emmylou Harris album before… So this was really interesting. I immediately wanted to give it a 4. I mean Red Dirt Girl has to be one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard. It hit me on the first listen. Her voice was beautiful and at first I thought I was happy with the production, but then… enter the drum machine and Idk, a number of other “modern” choices and as the album went into its second half, I was disappointed. 3 stars. Boolean rating: yes, I think it was good to have heard this, though as someone said in another review, late career choices for artists that are taking up space from this time period… well there was A LOT released in 2000 that is NOT on the list…

Lovely voice kinda not into the album though

I usually find I enjoy Emmylou immensely when she pops up as a vocalist on other artists' records, but not always as a solo artist. She holds her own here though.

An really good album with strong lyrics, some moments of beauty and some interesting choices, such as the hypnotic Middle Eastern rhythms in a couple of tracks. Some of the more straightforward stuff reminded me a lot of Bruce, and lo! he appeared on track 4. It's good that the album has been included, as she's (obviously) an important artist, and this is, seemingly, recognised as the album where she finally wrote (nearly) all the songs and "found herself". I found a couple of songs a bit dull, but genuinely enjoyed most of it very much: I really liked J'ai fait tout, and Hour of Gold. Sadly, the last two tracks fell into the dull category for my personal taste which is why it's ending up as three stars.

Never actually listened to an Emmylou Harris album before, so glad to have that gap addressed. For those in a similar boat, Allmusic says that the compilation Anthology is the best single release for casual fans to go for an introduction. I'm planning to check out that and her first major label release, Pieces of the Sky. This album ... beautiful voice, strong songs, consistently overproduced. The title track Red Dirt Girl makes it all work, but more representative is I Don't Want To Talk About It Now, where I like the music, but it doesn't fit well with the song, to my ear. This seems like a good example of the long, slow recovery singer-songwriters were on after the "we can put a synth on that" 80s (see: Portlandia, Put a Bird On It!). Tigerlily set the industry back badly in this respect; one huge success begets many benighted imitators. Bang the Drum Slowly here is an excellent example of this blight. My Baby ... Shepherd works well. Also J'ai fait tout. Overall, good album, but ... too much atmospherics! Can't really get into an album with this sound.

Great album! You really hear the influence on modern country artists like Miranda Lambert. Guests in this album included Springsteen and Dave Matthews. Solid 3.5 but can’t quite nudge it to a 4 in this rating.

The queen of country music.

Nice voice, good songs, yeah, nice.

starts nice but fizzles out

Some nice background music. Nothing revolutionary.

This is a very competent album. The songs are well-written, pleasant, and have a coherent sound throughout. A very good album by an artist who knows who she is and is incredibly dialed in, just nothing that excites me personally.

je m’attendais à pire! 3-/5

I do not like old country music

Sure, why not🧄

Dave matthew’s appears My antonia …her voice is golden, the slower tempo and country esque lyrics didn’t move my needle.

Honestly I didn’t hate it. This album was very easy listening, but I don’t think it’s something I would need to listen to again. It didn’t really stand out, but I think it would make good quiet background music for something like cleaning the house or lounging on a Sunday morning.

It's fine. It was chill to listen to but I have no strong feelings.

Hyvä ja kaunis ääni. Aika rento jammailu.

3-4

i liked it way more than i expected, soft and pleasant, had a nice metro ride hearing it :)

Some sort of 90s alt-rock country blend. Not my style.

Is this proto-indie-folk? I can listen to so many current artists that surely drew inspiration from Emmylou and probably many other artists I don't know of. The production is great, every song sounds live warm and full of energy.

This is pretty nice. Soft rock/country vibes, mellow vocals. It's not my cup of tea, but it's nice to listen to. It has its place somewhere I know.

A quite pretty album buoyed by Emmylou’s beautiful vocals. Generally fairly simple but effective melodies that can at times be quite moving. The more interesting parts of this album are the less traditionally country instrumentals and textures that can at times be electronica, Middle Eastern, folksy and more generically modern. The album kind of drifts along and although nice, sort of blends together and ends up a hit unmemorable. It’s maybe overlong as well.

- She's an activist, but I haven't heard anything about the genocide, so that makes me wonder if she's a liberal Zionist, especially given some of the people she's collaborated (etc.) with. - The album is pretty because she has a sweet and strong melodic alto/mezzo with a bit of raspiness (though, a little straining). - There's quite a bit of instrumentation, but nothing super notable. It's definitely very produced. - There isn't much in the variation of tempo or style, and it was more religious than I'm into, but it was enjoyable in a background kind of way. This vibe feels like it would be best to hear around a campfire. - I think I'll probably get into it the more I listen to it and absorb the lyrics. - That said, the songs and album are too long - they don't evolve enough to sustain the length. Also, the first half is a lot more enjoyable than that second half (e.g., I really dislike the song J'ai Fait Tout, and it never really recovers after that).

mislio sam da će ovo bit zakurac al je na kraju ispalo solidno... ništa vanredno i ništa šta bih inače slušo, al lijep glas i ono, nije mi ni najmanje smetalo. jedino mi je pjesma s muškim vokalom, zbog njega, bila nekako stoput seljačkija od ostalih. al osim toga neloše, pa eto gospođi trojičice

Harris has an incredibly pleasant singing voice. But that's the only thing that carries this album.

A bit disappointing. I wanted more of a country edge to some of the later songs. A few standouts (my baby needs a Shepard in particular).

It drifted by a bit, and I can't really understand why it would be an essential listen, but yeah, it's... good.

Didn’t mind listening to it, but nothing really stood out to me either.

Not bad but not good either.. too poppy. This is sort of forgettable.

Folksy

Great vocals

Listening to the first two tracks I thought I was in for a lovely ride, but the momentum is not carried through. It is nice enough, her voice is strong but it does take a nose dive in quality in the middle of the record.

Really solid country album with some unique instrumentation going on. That said, didn't particularly blow me away either.

Of all the great country albums, why this one? It is nice - nothing wrong with it, but it really isn’t special in a any way.

Decent album, not my type though

Not for me.

Real heads know that Wrecking Ball is the late-era Emmylou worth its weight but this one's alright. Hits a cozy melancholy about halfway through and the final few tracks aren't anything atypical for Harris by this point in her career. What made Red Dirt Girl unique is that she wrote a majority of the tracks on the album which was long awaited. I wish she had a bit more of her own catalogue because her songwriting isn't bad at all and plays well to the sound. This is just getting in at the tail end of the Lanois/Rubin led 90s country revival right before stadium country rockers would chase the sincere and soulful outta town. Favorite Tracks: The Pearl, Red Dirt Girl, My Baby Needs A Shepard, Band the Drum Slowly, J'ai fait tout

Sounded like less country Dolly Parton

Country isn’t really my thing but this was decent.

okay

nice voice but a bit lame for my tastes

3 . earlier albums are better

Era defining country, and by that I mean I heard a hundred songs like it on the radio as a kid. Favourite track: J'ai fait tout

country folk female singer cant go wrong

Yeh, I thought she sounded like a Harris…

Emmylou how do you do???

This album doesn't bother me at all. Good sounding country/folky pop with a somewhat a bit cheap mysterious sauce over it (both in terms of lyrics and arrangements). But Emmylou Harris can definitely sing (bit samey though). If I liked the style more I'd probably give it a four. But even then, I'd still think this album didn't belong on the list. Some of her 30-ish previous albums may be suitable though - I believe she was big and novel (not Jimi Hendrix novel, or Can novel) ages ago. In this day and age it's hardly interesting even if it sounds pleasant enough.

Some nice vocals.

Enjoyed, except for rhyming monkey and funky

Love her but not her best

This album reminds me of the tail end of summer. So cozy and nostalgic.

Emmylou Harris, such a smoke show

This was pretty good; similarly to the much earlier one from Emmylou Harris, I liked her voice. A solidly high three.

2/16/26. Second album from Emmylou, like her take of country genre on this one. Good use of drum machines and loops with interesting melodies.

She still has a great voice, though the songs are not super. It is rather middle of the road for me.

Highlights: The Pearl Lowlights: -------------- It's fine. Nothing really stood out and nothing was that bad. Definition of straight down the middle.

Good but not for me

I did use a private Spotify session for this one, I am not a fan of contemporary country, don't want it in my algorithms, and I fear this is what it is. After listening, I was happily incorrect in my initial assessment. This was a very enjoyable album, mellow not twangy or filled with American jingoism, references to beer and pickup trucks. I could see myself listening to this again, maybe up at the cabin during my morning coffee.

I admire the songwriting, but it's not really my thing.

Country or Folk, but not bad. Pretty chill.

A complete surprise - I’d never heard of Emmylou Harris or Red Dirt Girl before. I really enjoyed the sparse, atmospheric production; at times it reminded me of Big Thief, who I’d imagine took some influence from this. The opening track is a definite highlight. That said, the ponderous tempo doesn’t help, and the 56-minute length combined with several similar-sounding tracks makes the album drag, even though the songs themselves have plenty of interesting instrumentation.

Good vibes but found myself somewhat bored

As much folk as country, with influences from much further afield than Americana within the echoey backing. Quite enjoyed it

Nice voice easy to listen to

5 - AVERAGE

Not really my cup of tea but pretty good country.

Not my usual thing but can appreciate the writing!

An interesting spin between folk/country, and an enjoyable listen through. Emmylou has a beautiful singing voice and there is a lot of lovely and interesting instrumentation, but the melodies and lyrics could be a bit hit and miss for me. Favourite track: 5 - Red Dirt Girl Best Three Track Run: 7, 8, 9

She's a legend. But this just isn't for me

Pretty mild

While country music has grown on me, I can’t say it’s a genre I actively seek out, and thus this album and artist was not familiar to me. Red Dirt Girl proved to be an enjoyable enough listen and it wasn’t necessarily what I’d categorize as country? Maybe this makes sense for the artists’ 19th album release and sort of her departure. J’ai Fait Tout and My Antonia caught my attention for the French lyrics and then the Dave Matthews feature (though not credited on Spotify?) And I’m all the more impressed to read this artist departed from her usual and co-wrote most of the songs. A second listen and review of the lyrics grew my appreciation for the storytelling and personal aspects that seemed to come through several songs, notably Red Dirt Girl and Bang the Drum Slowly. I don’t necessarily think I’ll be playing this album again or seeking out her other works, but I did appreciate the listen.

Not something I'd probably listen to again but I have no real complaints

Honestly my exceptions were low but this was a decent album. I probably won’t return to this but it was alright.

Female singer that has set all the standards for bluegrass, country, and folk music. Unique voice, good music.

No. 352/1001 The Pearl 4/5 Michelangelo 3/5 I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now 3/5 Tragedy 3/5 Red Dirt Girl 3/5 My Baby Needs A Shepard 3/5 Bang The Drum Slowly 3/5 J'ai fair tout 3/5 One Big Love 4/5 Hour of Gold 2/5 My Antonia 3/5 Boy from Tupelo 3/5 Average: 3,08 Sounds like Dolly Parton with a more modern production. She has a great voice. Songs just didn’t really grab me.

I've listened to some of her other albums and this one didn't really make sense to me until I saw it came out in 2000. You can hear some of the sounds others in pop were using at that time. Not anywhere near the top of what I've heard from her, but cool she wrote her own music on this one. 3/5

Chill country album

not gonna lie I was about to skip it as today's album but I decided to give it a chance was okay at the beginning. however, I soon got bored the sound of it is really new to me and simple, but pleasant but country is really not a genre for me, even if more sophisticated, like this one

Harris is obviously a country legend and her voice is distinct, however, did we need this 3rd album? It wasn't a huge cultural rebirth (like Johnny Cash), it was just an album that critics liked - there's plenty of albums that aren't on this list that fit that description. Anyway, it's not as strong on country as her other albums and is a tad more atmospheric with some unexpected production choices (e.g. drum loops) and leans into that. The production is like Temu Lanois. It's fine. Best Tracks: Michelangelo; I Don't Want To Talk About It; Red Dirt Girl

She’s got a nice sounding voice but honestly this album didn’t stand out at all for me.

Good country album, I could put this record in the background of a rainy day

A decent listen. Nothing mind blowing but she had a nice voice.

Helt grei taffelmusikk.

it's a country so there's a ceiling on quality but damn i loved the newish sounds on here

I don't care for this type of music, but I can appreciate the production quality and talent.

Liked this a good bit. A little trimming around the edges and it would flow smoother.

Pretty decent country album

I get why this album might face “snooze” allegations, but I actually enjoyed having it on in the background and never felt the urge to skip anything. That honestly counts for more than a lot of albums I’ve had to sit through.

A solid classic-country album from the modern country era. I’ve never been huge on country, but I like this—kind of puts me in the mood of driving through Maine during a snowstorm. “One Big Love” was a clear standout track for me.

Was pleasantly surprised to hear a mix of styles. Also surprised about the amount of religious references. Lovely voice, nice melodies

Solid album. Not my favorite but a nice listen

Emmylou Harris' voice is silky and rough, soft and cutting, beautiful and intriguing. This album is a perfect excuse to feel all the nuances between sadness and hope. I loved this.

kinda reminds me of miley cyrus and joni mitchell. i wish i liked this album more :/

Enjoyable enough

Pinnacle 90s soft rock

Great voice after all the years.

Спочатку подумав що це якась дефолтна американа, але загалом було цікаво, особливо пісні типу J'ai fait tout.

Unique sound, good singing.

Country is not my preferred choice but Emmylou's voice is realy compelling on this album; mature and confident. The lyrics are honest. One for a car journey (in the Apalacian mountains, of possible).

Not as bad as I expected it to be, just because I'm not a huge country listener. But it was okay.

Better than Coldplay

It's not my kind of music, but I didn't hate it. I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now was decent.

Great Americana album, iconic voice. Highlights: "The Pearl" and "Tragedy"

Wasn't the mood for me today but this is well made and Emmylou has a wonderful voice

I love Emmylou’s voice. This album isn’t her strongest though. 3.5/5

Inget som sticker ut. Jättebra sångröst.

It’s pretty and easy to listen to. Nothing too remarkable but I liked it enough

I love Emmylou and anything she does, but this feels like an odd album to include on this list

Pleasant - J'ai fait tout probably my favourite track

#764. Fine, if you're into that kind of thing. 3/5: acceptable

A pleasant blend of country and folk. Some really nice arrangements here that compliment Emmylou Harris' voice perfectly. The title track was probably the standout for me.

Folksy AF. Pleasant to listen to. I liked the middle eastern drum influence in the tunes. I know know the Bang the Drum Slowly reference.

6/10 Pleasant enough and on a relisten it improved. Just sounds like a lot of those 90s/00s country singer revival albums.

I read that Red Dirt Girl was a milestone for Emmylou Harris because she wrote almost the entire album herself. That's certainly admirable, but this achievement is perhaps more significant for her than for her listeners. The songs are gentle and light, mostly country-pop ballads, but none of them really grabbed me. I know (and like) the recording on which she and Mark Knopfler play “Red Dirt Girl” and a few other songs live, but that's not part of this review. So for me, this remains an album that could have been so much more, but sounds very mediocre in the context of this list. Nice, but nothing special.

Didn"t really get through it so an average 3.

From experience Emmy is watchable at a free Bluegrass festival on a late Indian aummer afternoon but the this album didnt do a whole amount for me. She aint no Kacey Musgrove, dat to sho!

I was enjoying the opening part of this album, especially as it harked back to the kind of 60s female folk vocals that I enjoy. Halfway through the album, I felt it was becoming more Americana in its sound and frankly it was getting a bit boring and tedious. From initially thinking this could be a 4 star, it left me with doubts of even giving it a 3.

Esta mujer es la voz de Estados Unidos. Es como un ángel. Es hasta difícil saber si las canciones son buenas porque siempre suenan a ella y sólo a ella. Creo que nunca me gustaría para un 10 pero tampoco para menos de un 7.

Love her voice.

fleetwood maccy

She's not really my style of music, but she does have a very lovely voice.

Amazing voice, although pop country isn’t really my thing. That said it’s not bad background listening, 2.5 rounded up.

Ok country stuff. Not my thing

I think this is a good album but not revolutionary.

It’s alright, I have no idea why it’s here though

TBH I listened to this months ago and intended to come back and try again. I feel ultimately as I start listening that this is a foregone conclusion. Either high 2 or low 3. Going the latter, because the sounds aren't bad. My heart just isn't really in it.

I enjoy her voice a lot and was really enjoying this one on a chill fall morning. Like most singer/songwriter albums I start to get a bit tired of them. High 3 for sure

Pretty good album for singer/songwriter. Really liked a few of the songs but there were definitely some duds that didn't do much. Was very surprised to hear Dave Matthews on here on the second to last song.

It’s chill and nice. A pleasant country-songwriter-y album. It didn’t stand out to me, but Emmylou has a nice voice

Pleasant but not memorable. I wouldn’t even call this a country album but more of an adult contemporary.

3/5

Album 925 of 1089 Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl (2000) Rating : 2.5 / 5 I’ve heard and enjoyed a good bit of her earlier work, but this one just didn’t resonate with me the same way. It’s certainly a well-made album - her voice is as strong and graceful as ever, and the production is top-notch - but it just didn’t click for me personally. There’s a melancholy, almost reflective tone running through the songs that I can appreciate, but it didn’t leave much of an emotional connection this time around. Country fans, especially those who like the more introspective, singer-songwriter side of the genre, will likely find plenty to love here. For me, it’s more a case of admiring the artistry without feeling the pull to go back for another listen.

Emmylou is about her voice. The music is uninspiring but her voice is nice.

Emmylou Harris's "Red Dirt Girl" is a quiet, reflective album filled with lovely melodies and her signature, beautiful voice. It's an album that requires dedicated listening and for which I have to be in the right mood, and the timing isn't quite right today. While the album is a fine piece of work, its length feels a bit excessive, and the songs, while individually strong, can be sonically too similar from track to track. A little more dynamic contrast would have provided a more engaging experience for me. That said, my opinion of this album is still evolving. Albums like this tend to grow on me over time, so I find it difficult to give a definitive rating after just a day or two but as this generator requires a rating I will go with three stars. 1 "The Pearl" (3/5) 2 "Michelangelo" (4/5) 3 "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" (4/5) 4 "Tragedy" (4/5) 5 "Red Dirt Girl" (4/5) 6 "My Baby Needs a Shepherd" (3/5) 7 "Bang the Drum Slowly" (4/5) 8 "J'Ai Fait Tout" (3/5) 9 "One Big Love" (3/5) 10 "Hour of Gold" (3/5) 11 "My Antonia" (4/5) 12 "Boy from Tupelo" (3/5) Total - 42 Average - 3.50 122/1001 65/122 albums reviewed were new to me.

That's not my taste in music - But ok

Talented singer/songwriter. Album is good, just not for me. 3/5 Probably won't listen again

This is chill and echoes of Aimee Mann.

Pleasant, calm music. Great voice and tunes.

I'm going to give this one 3 stars. Not my type of music but I didn't mind it for sure.

Gentle americana with interesting modern ideas (for 2000) production wise to mix things up. But it's kind of a drag in the long run.

Such a nice voice. I liked all the songs except the duet near the end.

It’s ok, but probably won’t listen again.

I liked this, excellent and distinct voice. Standouts were “The Pearl”, “My baby needs a shepherd “, My Anito is, and the title track. 3.5/5

This was a very cool…yet, well…fine listen. I really like the production as that is what makes this more of an interesting listen. Still, I prefer her previous album Wrecking Ball produced by Daniel Lanois. Maybe ‘cause that was one of her first leaps into fusing modern sounds with her folk songs. Still…her voice is so darn good and distinct regardless of the presentation. The title track was one of my faves, and it was cool to see her covering Patty Griffin on “One Big Love.” Biggest surprise was the “My Antonia” duet with Dave Matthews who sings in a normal register for once, unlike his nasal DMB style which I can’t stand.

This was good. And surprising. I always think of Emmylou as some old school country but this sounded very contemporary for 2000. Several nice songs and may have to give this another visit (along with some of her other work). 3.25

This album is totally fine and enjoyable. I’m just struggling with the “why.” Apple Music tells me she has 6 essential albums and this is not one of them. I guess maybe because it was one of her later albums and won some awards? I dunno. 3/5

Not my favorite Emmylou but a solid entry.

You can tell she puts a lot of hard work into her writing. Some nice tracks but not my cup of tea

This is definitely something to play at nap time. I liked it but it isn't anything I would listen to again. But it did remind me of my dad

Wasn’t familiar but pretty good!

red dirt girl harmonica on my anotonia

That was pretty.

Countrymuziek met hier en daar iets moderns ertussen gemixt. Emmylou heeft een mooie stem, maar de plaat glijdt voorbij als een kudde koeien in de nacht. Zonder dat er echt opvallend geloei tussenzit.

Iets moderne country. Kwalitatief niets op af te dingen. De zang is niet alleen prima. Maar dwingt ook naar de tekst te luisteren. Toch houd ik dit maar moeilijk vol. Het is te rustig, muzikaal te weinig prikkelend. Het is soms de kunst om bij een genre dat jou niet past, het album af te zetten tegen genregenoten. Dat zorgt voor de voldoende.

Nada mal, lejísimos pero no tanto. Nota: 3.1

This was a good album. Emmylou is a really good singer. The harmonies throughout were great! "My Antonia" reminded me of the beginning of "Cassandra" by ABBA. Liked Songs: "The Pearl" , "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" , "Tragedy" , "My Baby Needs a Shepard" , "One Big Love" , "My Antonia" , "Boy From Tupelo"

Meh. Its ok.

I expected the worst between the album title and cover. But it was actually not bad.

Pleasant

So I was dreading this and thought it was going to be a real slog to get through...but its not half bad, its less country than I expected and I think she is very talented, but its just not for me. Glad I have listened to once, never will again

Un bonito disco de country pop. Se nota que es de los 2000 porque incluye baterías sintetizadas en algunos temas.

Definitely more folk than country, which is a good thing in my books. Nice to have on in the background.

Another album I should like more than I do.

i like emmylou, and i like willa cather, but i can't abide dave matthews

I didn't hate it, but feel like I didn't need to hear it either

A pared-down, contemplative album where minimal instrumentation creates a beautifully intimate and introspective musical world.

Solid stuff, Emmylou.

beautiful sound but kind of irrelevant

I enjoyed this album. I'm a sucker for a bit of folk, and this album was no exception. It sounded a little more country than I like, but it also had a lot of heart. Reminded me a little of Jewel.

I wasn't sure going into this, but it grew on me and I appreciated hearing from a mature female voice. I'm not usually much of a country fan, but this verged into folk territory so I thought it was pretty listenable.

01) The Pearl - 7,5 02) Michelangelo - 7,5 03) I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now - 7,5 04) Tragedy - 8,0 05) Red Dirt Girl - 7,5 06) My Baby Needs a Shepherd - 7,0 07) Bang the Drum Slowly - 7,5 08) J'ai fait tout - 7,5 09) One Big Love - 7,0 10) Hour of Gold - 7,0 11) My Antonia - 8,0 12) Boy from Tupelo 7,0 TOTAL: 7,42 (74/100) Current ranking: 295/635

This is fine. Not sure Emmylou Harris warrants three entries to this list, however.

It’s well made but not interesting enough

I thought the first track was quite good but then it sort of fell in to generic inoffensive country music. I lost interest 4 or 5 songs in but got through it all anyway. “Bang the drum slowly” was a nice memorial tune, but other than that no other standouts. She’s a good singer, but her songwriting isn’t that captivating. It’s ok.

Emmylou has a fantastic voice and comes from a more traditional folk/country background, so I had high hopes for this album. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit me that great. It has decent bones, so it might grow on me with repeated listens, but I just couldn’t get into it today. Three sears for its potential.

Warm relaxed folksy country with an acoustic guitar and EH's beautiful voice at the heart of arrangements fleshed out atmospherically with echoey dirty electric guitars, droning baritone parts, textural piano/organs,.and some perfect vocal harmonies. Dark sombre and contemplative songs, full of grief and loneliness.

This felt very all-encompassing but I wonder if I would have liked it as much with a lighter touch on the vocal reverb.

I love Emmylou’s voice. But I’m not sure if she’s the type of artist I want to hear an hour of. But man when she shows up on backing vocals for random bands does she knock it out of the park.

I can listen to this to appreciate quality music, but the slow pace and yearning style is not my favorite. Again, not her best album, but I do love the collaborations.

Kind of nice. Nothing special.

Sweet voice

Emmylou Harris has a lovely voice, but I couldn't get into this album.

She has such a haunting voice. Very strong lyricism too. The music isn't exactly my thing but it isn't disruptive either. It suits her voice well.

I enjoy the album overall, I’m not sure why it’s on the list personally? Like it’s good, but maybe I don’t get the need to put it on. Almost like this. But her voice is great, I love the signer songwriter perspective.

It's fine, nothing amazing, nothing you need to hear before you die... at best something you could listen to before you sleep to help insomnia.

Not my style of music and it has that specific 00s pop sound, but I appreciate it the sadly beautiful songs like the title track and my Antonia. Also was surprised to hear Dave Matthews show up on that track. I’ll take it.

Des arrangements léchés pour une voix assumée

Favorites: J'au Fait Tout, Red Dirt Girl, Hour of Gold, my Antonia Chill, vibey, not necessarily something I'd normally listen to. Feels very 90s CCM (neither a good nor bad thing)

ngl i barely paid attention to this while listen, but liked what i heard

It was ok, not my thing and not a must listen for me

Enjoyable listen. Nice and mellow.

2.58

Much prefer her albums from the 70's. This a little bland and too adult contemporary for me. It's a 2.5 for me.

Like the other Harris album we had, I thought this was just fine. The voice is nice, but I don't care about the songs themselves.

Swithering between a 2 and a 3 on this one. I mean there are some glimmers of loveliness in there but not enough to overcome the boredom factor. And the arrangement and production does the material no favours. Hmmm… 2.5

I love Emmylou. She has one of the best voices in country. I don't love the production here. It feels overproduced and inorganic. I get they were trying new styles, it just wasn't my favorite.

Was fun had a couple really good songs, I didn’t notice until Lisa came in and mentioned it but she’s does use vibrato a bit much haha

Singer songwriter pop. Great voice and beautiful instrumentation. Quiet boring.

Pre-listening thoughts: hey my coworker is named after her! Post/during listening thoughts: this was nice! Mellow and folky and a little bit country. Sometimes it bled together but I like her voice and I thought it was nice background music. This is a strange pick for Emmylou but I enjoyed it well enough. 6/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nah Fav tracks: The Pearl, I Don’t Want to Talk About it Now, One Big Love Least fav tracks: J’ai fait tout

some misses but overall pretty good. a lot of them sounded the same at some point (basically red dirt girl). love emmylou harris, but like her earlier, more folksy material more (gram parsons!!!)

Americana Folk meets CCM. Favorite Track: Red Dirt Girl

Every time I’ve listened to this, I’ve thought “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It Now” is a good song!

Little too much worshippy. Fine for once, but wouldn't go here again.

This was fine, not sure if I would say you NEED to hear this before you die, but it was pleasant enough. Can’t really give it more than 3/5 though, nothing extraordinary

Good album. I enjoyed it. I've never listened to Emmylou Harris, I like her voice and the production of this album. The song writing was strong, lovely voice and interesting melodies.

A sweet, pleasant, chill record to listen to. The title track was the standout. Nothing here that was super engaging but altogether I liked it.

I was up and down with this album. At times she struck my sweet spot for country/folk and at other times, I was simply bored. But the ending with Boy from Tupelo brought me back and I landed right north of middle. 3.75

juliette lewis in yellowjackets type beat

Meh.

ok

What an aggravating album ultimately. The first third is everything that I hate about singer-songwriter albums: only focus is on vocals so that the accompanying instruments have nothing interesting going on in them. Then in the middle, the instruments pick up, but the voice recedes...this is a formula that can work for me, but in this context it still feels like something is missing. But then finally, the album ends with a slew of tracks where the voice and the accompanying instruments are in great alignment. What could have been a really great album for me ultimately falls into the "just fine" vortex, which admittedly is a relatively strong rating for singer-songwriter albums for me

I don't think anyone really dislikes Emmylou Harris; her voice is too mellifluous and her arrangements are too pleasant to ever inspire that kind of negative furor. But while those things are true, it's also true that she is not an artist I will ever really reach for out of some unnameable intrinsic need. I'd probably go for Neko's unassailable pipes and deep well of emotion first, if I were looking for a similar soundscape. Still, I am glad I spent the time with this one.

May need to give a few more listens, but I did like what I heard mostly.

Ja hérna, sjö þristar í röð. Fer ekki að koma tími á eitthvað eftirminnilegra? Emmylou er fín, en þetta rennur inn um annað og út um hitt.

Perfectly pleasant and it’s always nice to hear a voice like this. But not particularly inspiring or anything.