Red Dirt Girl

Solid

not bad

it’s lovely but very much of its time

I feel like this is an amazing reimagination of a musician who was much bigger before. It really showcases her skill as a singer, while not technically being instrumentally what she's known for (I assume). I really feel like this could have influcened some of the new era orchestral-style pop, like Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers, especially with the male-female vocal harmonies which I've heard both of them do. But it might just be a coincidence (but it does sound uncannily alike Lana Del Rey in some places). The little drum machine/synth elements are really good, and aren't totally overarching to the rest of the instrumentals, which can sometimes happen. I also like the storytelling on some songs. Not much too bad to say, except jut that some songs are a bit shallow and go nowhere, or are too country for my liking (not too many though) Favourite songs: Tragedy, red dirt girl, bang the drum slowly, my Antonia. Overall around 6/10

Perfectly average. Would listen to again but no songs were really noteworthy

3.5/5

Ungewohnte Klänge für Country, aber nicht übel!

Not bad - she has a wonderful voice but album didn't do it for me

The title track from this album is amazing, but I'm not in love with the rest. I absolutely LOVE Emmylou's album "Cowgirl's Prayer" - it's quite easily in my top 10 favorite albums ever, but "Red Dirt Girl" didn't really do it for me.

Fine

I thought I was going to love this. Her voice is beautiful. But then about halfway through I realized I just didn't? Maybe it's just an issue of mixed expectations. I know I love her older work.

Overall: 6/10 I've never knowingly listened to an Emmylou Harris song before today and I find her to be an impressive songwriter. I find her lyrics poetic and her vocals very beautiful. I also love that this album seems to be a departure from the traditional country sound (and let's be real, any departure from country tradition is a good one). I could personally do without the religious imagery in some songs but it doesn't affect my rating at all. Fav Song: J'ai fait tout Least Fav Song: Red Dirt Girl

Typical EH album. Some nice tunes

This was okay. I wouldn't call it country, but it's country-adjacent. I probably won't listen to it again, but it was fine while I did chores around the house.

9. Not a fan of country music, despite that I think is album is alright. Overall a good album just not for me.

Not bad, just not totally my kind of carne.

Didn't have too many expectations for this, but ended up liking it. Favorite track: Michelangelo other picks: Bang the drum slowly, tragedy

Decent listen.

Good

It's fine. After awhile I got into it enough to want to finish the album but this is my second emmylou harris album and she's just not my bag

Not usually my genre, but this is a very decent listen - and from knowing Midnight Oil's Breathe, Malcolm Burn's really organic production is instantly recognisable.

A reprieve album? Just 5 albums after the last one? In this economy? I guess I can take another day off. I ain't complaining. Quite an interesting album. I haven't listened to enough country to have an informed opinion on the genre, but I've always pinned country music as being an "island" in the music industry. The sonic stylings and themes of country music are largely confined to their niche and rarely spill over into other genres of music (that is, until recently with the increasing overlap between country and pop songwriting conventions). I've also always pinned country music listeners as being a walled-off community, with fans of the genre primarily listening to country and little else. All this to say that I think it's interesting that a country album has been merged with what I can only describe as a "downtempo" sound. It's takes itself very slowly, has a layered sound and is generally reliant on percussion. Yet, in contrast to the cold, electronic sound of downtempo this album is very warm and meditative - a marked shift from the music that I am used to. Vocal performances are a big point of contention for me on this site. There's rarely any that I enjoy, though I can proudly say that Emmylou nails it on this album. There's an impressive display of range and tone across all of the songs on Red Dirt Girl. It's very pleasing and well in line with the homely, warm sound of the album. While I liked this album the entire way through, I can confidently give this a 3/5 - no coin of indecision necessary. This is a looooong, loooooooooooong album. While there are some varied and dynamic compositions, this album is also very samey in a lot of respects. Despite feeling like I've listened to all of her discography with this one album, I've added Emmylou Harris to my list of artists to check out sometime. I'm not rushing to give her a deeper dive, but I'm looking forward to seeing where the road takes me

The Pearl - 3/5 Michelangelo - 4/5 I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now - 3/5 Tragedy - 2/5 Red Dirt Girl - 3/5 My Baby Needs a Shepherd - 2/5 Bang the Drum Slowly - 2/5 J'ai fait tout - 3/5 One Big Love - 3/5 Hour of Gold - 3/5 My Antonia - 1/5 (zzzz) Boy from Tupelo - 2/5 Average: 2.58 i had higher hopes for this one since i really enjoyed Pieces of the Sky. upon hearing just the first song, i already kinda made my mind up this was a fine release and all, nothing really stuck out to me except for maybe a few songs. it's unlikely i'd return to this album, her earlier ones are far better in comparison

hmm not my thing

Nice. But pretty sure Emmylou has better than this.

Title track is real nice. Add that to the list!

Way way better than her other album on the list. I will give both a 3, but this is a 3.8 and the other was just about a 3. Nice voice, some good songs. Maybe missing something a bit weirder to get a higher mark

amerískt fólkköntrí. stundum frávik í trommutöktum sem kemur misvel út. en fínn söngur og um margt gott. gef aðra. 3,5.

Really emotional and interesting, haunting production. Lots of biblical and mythic references. Surprisingly heavy, very authentic Country, and Emmylou Harris voice is iconic.

Bang the Drum Slowly goes in. The rest of the album is a snooze fest 😴

It's not terrible, just uninteresting. Like a bland version of Fleetwood Mac. Favorite song: the pearl

Not a fan of the genre but it was nice.

Very soothing on a busy day. Not necessarily my thing but hit the spot.

It was okay, she has an amazing voice though!

This one grew on me. I didn’t understand why it was in this list until I got to Red Dirt Girl. First song I really liked was Jai fait tout. I enjoyed her storytelling, she’s leagues ahead of T.swift.

Maybe a 3.5, a great voice

Emmylou Harris has been around all my adult life and on the fringes of my consciousness but never taken any notice of her. American Country Music has never taken a hold of me so explains my ignorance of Ms Harris. So having been somewhat forced to listen to her today I expected the usual countyfide sound. To the contrary I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the presence and elements of Country there was much to enjoy here. Some sweet singing and tight arrangements made this an enjoyable hour as I listened whilst out on a walk with AirPods. Probably the best environment for me to listen as I cannot see me again sitting down and listening constructively. 3/5 12/2/25

I thought I would like it more than I did but it's a nice album for background music at work.

Cool

Emmylou Harris has one of the most distinctive and wonderful voices. A good album although I am not sure this is the best or most defining of Harris's career.

Just found it to be way too schmaltzy. Like, it wasn't bad but I fail to engage with it on any level? I usually assume that's a me problem with albums and artists at this level of renown...here I don't think so.

Very pretty album. She has a lovely voice. Favorites: J'ai fait tout

Her voice is heavenly but the songs with few exceptions were just boring.

Not really my scene but this was OK. Even heard some crunch in the guitar for a more rock sound. It's not perfect. It's too long but it's listenable.

decent, not as good as I was expecting. Expecting more hard edged country music.

5/10 = 3

It's pretty interesting that Harris took her first stab at writing the majority of her own music so late in her career. And why not? She'd been covering other artists for decades before this. Yet there's a certain vulnerability with putting your own literal voice against your own literal voice. It's a good album, with a lot of powerful messages. The blend of country and folk, set against the heavy, slow drums works well. It's Harris's voice that really carries the album, as with her past ones, but it's really not a bad effort at all even without that. It's not one that I'd return to much, but I still enjoyed it.

I am so sorry. Emmylou sounded lovely, but I was very very bored with half the album.

Can we talk about the length of career???

Look - folk music isn’t my jam but this has some ethereal middle-eastern juju wrapped up in heartfelt and heart-wrenching melodies. I’ll happily let this be a pinnacle of the folk pantheon.

Liked it more than I thought I would!

As an enjoyer of both folk and country Emmylou Harris name comes up time and time again. Her 2000's release may be a "return to greatness" but it was a bit lackluster. I mean yesterday we listened to Nick Drake's Masterpiece Pink Moon which literally defines folk music and supercharges it to a melodic high point. So I guess what I'm trying to say is this is an outlier in both communities folk and country and by no means the incredible album some people think it might be. I don't doubt Emmylou, but this ain't it. This is for sad 90s mom's who think the best times are behind them and need sad music to feel the pain.

Thought this was really charming with solid production. Flirted with a 4.

I know her from a guest appearance w/ the Band in the Last Waltz, but this album wasn't for me. Made me kind of sleepy.

I've heard of Harris, but not heard her music. The songwriting and musicianship is so strong and beautiful. This is certainly more of a folk or folk-rock album than country. It was a surprisingly good listen! Liked Songs Added: The Pearl

54/100. Decent at best. For me, this album is pretty unremarkable—the singing pitch doesn’t vary much throughout the tracks. With a runtime of around an hour, the songs started to blend together and felt overly repetitive after a while. The music itself was fine, but as an album, it just didn’t click for me.

3.5! Some neat instrumentation here, though they all do start to blend together

6/10 Some nice folk vocals and some inspired instrumental work. 12-19-2024

I thought emmylou was a country lady from the 50-60s. Surprised to see this was released in 2000. It’s fine not inspired enough to look her up at all. She sounded like Susanna Hoffs from the bangles at times. It was boring.

I like the voice and I like the idea of a country legend trying something a bit different. Unfortunately for me there is no stand out track - everythings generally very pleasant and MOR but lacking real moments.

Not a fan, but I feel that I cannot give this lower than a three.

No está mal pero no es muy mi onda. Buen country pero prefiero a otros artistas del género.

3

237/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

an OK record, a few good songs, but overall average

Interesting listen 3/5

Very relaxing album. Reminds me of my mother

Emmylou Harris is an amazing singer - an American treasure to my mind - but her material is rarely worthy of her and this collection is unfortunately no exception.

this was fine to have on in the background, it started and I thought I was going to hate it, but her voice is great although nohing in here blew my socks off. Fave song was "I ain't living like this", probably cos it was the most upbeat and had some decent guitar work

It was okay. My mind was too preoccupied with the election to be paying attention.

Not bad but I won’t be listening again

Beautiful, soulful singer, J’ai fait tout is a mysteriously lovely song

Very chill folk rock music. She has a nice voice. Kinda the same vibe as the Indigo Girls, but not as good imho.

Not bad at all, great voice. Hour of Gold is my favorite song from this album.

it was aight 👍 i wouldn't care if i never heard it again

Feels like November in a handcrafts boutique.

It was alright but nothing wowing me. DMB was a fun surprise

Pleasant listening and I liked it well enough.

Perfectly fine, but I didn't love it. 3.2

J’ai fait tout is really good. One Big Love, Hour of Gold, My Antonia, too. Wish the rest was more like this. 3/5

I mean it’s alright for what it is. She’s got a good voice.

This does not fit my definition of Emmylou Harris. Sultry, emoitional, welcoming, warming. It's certainly intriguing. Fave tracks - "Michelangelo" and "J'ai Fait Tout"

Sembra un po' madonna

Decent enough album; as someone has suggested it's odd that an artist's 458th album appears here above some others. Opening track is great.

You know what? I kind of like country music… …when it doesn’t actually sound like country music.

Really surprised by the match of 90s vibe and production with a country legend.

Carolyn would like this more than me. Reminds me of music my mom likes a lot.

It was okay. Truth ... I had to stop about half way through, it was a little bland. Don't get me wrong, I love Emmylou. She's beautiful, talented, and the voice is wonderful. But I started it back up the next day, and really enjoyed the rest of the album.

soft country music, sung in a slow, soothing and emotional way. many tracks almost make you feel sleepy, the somber subject material, melodic harmonies and quiet strings set the scene quite well, with many songs about what it's like growing up in the country. it has a pleasant sound, but it didn't hold my interest for too long. if you like your country and you want something to relax to or listen to on a rainy day, you might like this one, but... yeah, i don't have too much to say for this one. i feel like i might listen to this one again and i might rank it higher.

Easy listening country music to get the day going

5/10 Not my piece of cake.

Not sure if I consider it country, but it was fine.

I don't know what to do with some of these albums. The whole day yesterday was bonkers. Did I even listen to this with any kind of attention? Would this have broken through to me on a different day? My main impression was that it sounded like someone told Harris she should update her sound and fully disagree. Nothing really bad here but nothing stuck.

I typically like emmylou Harris. Didn’t think this was the best example of her work.

The Taylor Swift of the AARP set. Heartbreak lyrics, country/pop. She needs to tour with TS: her record sales would soar.

Another one of those classic country artists reborn in late career rebirth albums. Voice/production is good. Just a bit dull.

Lovely and heartfelt throughout but somehow didn't manage to grab me completely.

Жанр не для меня. Для меня альбом показался дико скучным

Siistiä alternatiivista countrya. Tosi monipuolista, osa on perinteisempää countrya ja osa sitten kokeellisempaa. Osissa kappaleissa myös alt rock viboja. Parhaat: Michelangelo, Red Dirt Girl, Bang The Drum Slowly

Disappointed, thought for sure it was going to be a 5 for me. 3.5/5

This was a great album, way more modern sound than I was expecting from Emmylou Harris. Her voice is very distinctive and lovely to listen to. The music was lively and fun in places, but somber and serious in others. Good listen, three stars.

I expected much more country music, which I don't like, so this was a bit of a surprise. It's okay as a pop/country-pop album, but still not my thing. Credits for production and the singer's voice.

The modern (circa 2000) production, (complete with drum loops and middle easter guitar melodies) gives this album a sound that hasn’t dated too badly in 2024. It sometimes even sounds like one of those chill out electronica compilations from the early 2000s, while the continual religious allusions give me Nick Cave vibes. Overall, while I find ‘Red Dirt Girl’ pensive and downbeat, it’s not an unpleasant listen.

Great voice although not my kinda music.

scratch my itch, sweet annie rich...

I like it when it goes French. Favourite track: J'ai fait tout.

More folky than I would have thought, not bad.

What a mid work. Other modern country and folk albums showed how much interesting things one can do with modern production. It's already decent but she could've been more daring.

ok

Emmylou goes alt. A pretty good fit!

This was fine. I didn't really have any issues with it other than I'm kind of confused why it made this list. It doesn't seem influential or like it was doing anything new or innovative at the time. It's folkish music with a 90s/2000s twist. The songwriting was pretty decent though telling stories.

Sleepy mild mannered country-ish album that didn't really stand out to me as significant. Not my personal preference when it comes to music, but this album wasn't bad. It was fine.

This was a nice somber chill album. I enjoyed it.

Pretty good

3.25

Put off listening to this because I didn’t want to listen to country. This was a very pleasant and album. Didn’t pay too much attention to the lyrics but what I did catch was refreshing to hear apposed to what I normally hear from the genre. That said, not quite my cup of tea. Standouts: Michelangelo, My Baby Needs A Shepherd, J’ai fait tout, and Boy From Tupelo.

It was ok. A lot of religious allusions for me. But I liked the Fleetwood Mac vibe

Well I was not excited when I saw this was a country album, but it is not bad so far. On the second song, Michelangelo . Nothing has struck me, but it's not torture to listen to so far. Red Dirt Girl is the first song I enjoyed. Had a bit too much of religiosity sprinkled in the songs for me overall. It was fine.

Again not super my thing but not bad music by any means

-I’m not a huge fan of country folk stuff but she has a really nice voice -Sort of reminds me of Enya at some parts, specifically the “exotic” world music influence in some songs -Favorites are The Pearl and J’ai fait tout

good

easy enough to listen to , downloaded 2,3,4,5

Emmylou Harris is constantly reinventing herself. Here on Red Dirt Girl she emerges into the elder statesman of Country music, looking back on her history and the history of her genre and where it's going. Good pleasant listen and man has her voice stayed sharp. 3/5.

I can't believe it's not Lanois. Or Rubin. A mid/late career re-animation. Stately, sparse instrumention adding some gentle electronic textures to what's a stripped-back country setup. Lyrics absent of achey breaking and instead full of red dirt, brothers dying in the military, my childhood in the boonies and so on. Going light on the pedal steel and other arrangement cliches of the genre. The tempo is mostly mid, no Shania-type hoedowns, as befits a country matriarch. All told a pretty successful resurrection, if she needed resurrecting. 3.5 but there's a slight lack of variety - perhaps a cover of U2's One or a NIN classic would have sealed the deal of a 4.

Good

Very bluegrass. Not bad

5.5/10

I think she probably has more classic albums but this also reminds me of that one random late james taylor album that has "copper line" on it where a classic musician just works with more modern production techniques/modern sounds to decent effect. The Pearl has this epic/primal beat that fit with her voice / country sound even if the intro took me off guard. Michelangelo is pretty. I actually hear a lot of what the modern band "big theif" and frontwoman Adrienne Lenker is doing in their music with Emmylou's vibe on this album. May be similar voices as well. One of the most easy listening experiences as in pretty good/better than expected. Also reminds me a bit of Low. Overall a good listen. Bang the drum slowly, tragedy and

3+

This was ok, didn’t really grip me and I am generally pro country so that’s surprising.

Not quite as gripping as her earlier work, but still very pretty, Worth a listen.

The atmosphere on this record is great, some really lovely songs as well (I love the duet with Dave Matthews) but at times I felt this album was just a bit too slow. As in boring. Some of the bloat being trimmed would have helped a lot

No disrespect to EH, but this is basically a low-risk adult-contemporary softball. Emmylou’s allmusic bio glosses over this release without fanfare, noting only that Bruce Springsteen and several others make appearances. There are no songs that are outright bad enough to merit a two-star review, but you’re definitely not missing anything if you don’t hear this one before you die.

This was pretty enjoyable. I respect the effort. Reviews suggest it was not a typical work for her. I did not know the artist previously

Is it a decent album? Yeah sure! Is it deserving to be on this list? Probably not. 3/5

Seemed listenable. Only had it on in the background

I found myself curious about a any demos that might have been made for this album. Sometimes the floaty reverb thing gets a bit much.

Late in career album that's fairly average.

i have a touchy relationship with folk music, and i had hoped emmylou harris' red dirt girl mixing country with folk would make it more palatable for me. regretfully, while this album was easy on the ears, it lacked an attention grabber and could not excite me enough. her lyrics, though, made up for any weaknesses. multiple songs' lyrics grabbed me, especially the title song. one thing that stood out was the harmonizing vocals. i think they were on every single song and still allowed each song to sound unique. then i discovered that there were some surprises with the harmony vocalists!

This is nice. I don’t hate it or anything, it’s just a bit slow for my taste. It’s all very lovely, nicely produced. Definitely got a country edge. The rest of the music is really interesting, but then that distinctive twang creeps in and just stymies any potential. There’s so much good here. But, personally, I wish I could rearrange it. J’ai fait tout is really good. One Big Love, Hour of Gold, My Antonia, too. Wish the rest was more like this. 3/5

I sorta liked it

Emilylou has a lovely voice. I love the folk feel in her vocal style. I wish there were more folk elements to elevate the project though. The background elements of the music tend to drone on a bit.

This is fine. I've just heard the same thing done better by Brandi Carlile. Emmylou Harris has such a crispy voice here, it doesn't sell songs which are asking for a smoother voice. The music is nothing to write home about. What are we left with? And album I really don't like or hate. It just exists. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could throw on some actual good folk-country music.

неплохо, она приятная (обязательное: вокал такой не люблю + не мой жанр)

Loved the title track. A little morose for four stars but it is really good.

first listen her voice is unique and great, but the music on this one wasn't super strong

Probably benefits from coming straight after a similar album sung by someone with a less good voice than her. We've had one of hers before, it's really nice, gentle, soulful singing. I think there's a bit more to the lyrics than we had with Gillian Welch, and there's definitely more to the vocal quality. Not as good as the previous album we've had of hers in terms of memorable songs, but definitely a better album than the last few we've had. A low to mediocre 3/5 for me.

One full listen wasn’t enough to decide a concrete star rating, but suffice to say that this is a decent album. Maybe not on constant rotation, obviously, but occasional listen doesn’t sound too unlikely.

I know nothing about C&W, but this is okay.

Music was great - lyrics weren't for me.

This was not really a compelling record to me. I'm happy for the one listen, and I 100% respect her body of work leading up to this and even love some of it (Grievous Angel with GP).. but I saw none of the 'complete singer-songwriter' vibe that the book blurb alluded to. It came of 'just ok' IMHO.

Very 2000s

Sure. Whatever.

Really pretty boring...but it wasn't bad so I'll stick ya with 3 stars Emmylou even though every memory I have of you is standing stoically, slowly strumming guitar w that beautiful grey hair playing the same song bc im pretty sure there's only one

Emmylou Harris has the type of voice you can listen to endlessly. That said her instrument here makes all feel every single emotion. This is a gorgeous album from front to back. I am not really a country fan but Harris is exactly what I enjoy about the genre.

lekker rustig beetje doorsnee wel

Another album that I’d describe as “pleasant.” But it didn’t speak to me and no songs stood out to me despite multiple listens.

Its not bad. Title track is good. Maybe a little drum machiney? and some indian type droning stuff for innovation to americana. Apparently she wrote most of it. Guy clark helped with one! Surprise dave matthews! Jai f'ait tu is pretty good.

This is just some basic country, with an iffy mix, and a nearly hour-long runtime to boot.

I like her voice. In general I like the style and compositions, but I would give this one about a 3.5 because I have some other artists/albums that I would put above her that are in the same vein

I appreciate her great voice and the musicianship on this album. I just couldn't get into the slow sooner country dongs.

Not bad, but not amazing

Less outlaw, more laidback country

A fairly anonymous and very inoffensive take on modern country-folk. Every track is noticeably strong, as is Harris's smooth, strong vocal (particularly in her lower register), but the songs are missing some key hooks that would really push my rating beyond 3 stars. I remember thinking "This one is pretty good" during Red Dirt Girl, Bang the Drum Slowly, My Antonia, and Michelangelo - but thinking back now, I couldn't tell you much about those tracks. There were lots of major chords on acoustic guitar, some airy background strings, and of course Harris's voice at the front of the mix - but as for the rest... well... I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now. (heh.)

Traditional country is not a genre I am familiar with, or enjoy for that matter. Still, it's a sight better than the "pop country" movement of the past thirty years.

I have mixed reviews about this. I hated it at first but it grew on me. I liked the song with the French title. Lyrics were good across the album. Easily the best part. Her voice was… interesting. I mostly found it annoying. Sometimes it worked well. And the instrumentals were kinda hit or miss. I mostly found them boring and repetitive

i went in with low expectations, it was a solid album but you know i just don't like country :(

Nice

Content d'avoir eu la chance d'essayer cet album, meilleur que ce que j'aurais pensé considérant que c'est considéré country. Mais ça reste très folky, americana, rock, donc beaucoup plus varié d'une chanson à l'autre qu'un album de country pure. Par contre, je ne sais pas à quel point c'est un album qui se démarque et qui mérite sa place dans un tel palmarès. 7/10

Not sure I ever put together that Emmylou Harris sang mostly covers for decades of her recording career. There's a healthy mix of country with some surprising 90's influence. She sings her heart out, in a way that showcases the pride of releasing her own music as such

Mellow country music with a sweet voice. Not bad, but a bit samey. Stand-out: Bang the Drum Slowly

In short, this is good for someone else. I've always respected Emmylou Harris, but her music is typically polar opposite my jam. Super listenable as background music. Very pleasant. Going to end up rated as high as some records I own and put on with some frequency. And yet, it's a sign of the quality more than my own enjoyment.

Good

long

Tranquilito, está bien para un domingo lluvioso

Perfect Sunday morning vibes

Emmylou Harris is a classic voice in country. Obviously by the turn of the millennium, that voice would grow worn and weary. Still, Harris lays down her soul for some lovely songs. Tracks that lean more towards contemporary country are not a good fit for her, such as the programmed beats on Tragedy. I think there have been more memorable songs that she has sung on, but her efforts here are appreciated.

Harris has a beautiful voice, and her writing is spellbinding. My singular true gripe is that many of these songs are 30 seconds to a minute too long. The sprawl makes it difficult to pay close attention, which is a shame when the writing is this good. Highlights: The Pearl, Red Dirt Girl (😭), Bang the Drum Slowly, J'ai fait tout, My Antonia

Pretty good album. Country is definitely not my genre and this is too much for me, but there is quality here. Low 3.

This album didn't really do it for me. Extra star for her voice

I’d heard of Emmylou but had no idea what her songs were. None rang a bell. It was a pretty low key album but nothing really memorable.

A little too country

I mean this in the most admiring way possible, this music puts me to sleep. It's even-keeled, calming, maternal, comforting. ELH seems like a gem. Favorite track: My Baby Needs a Shepherd

A little lethargic but not unbearably so. I like Emmylou, but the 2000s production doesn’t really suit her.

Vibes were great but no song really grabbed me

not my favorite style of music, but some great songs here

It's a solid-enough late career comeback for Miss Harris. The songs all have a similar feel, so it gets samey at some points, though I like the "sway" that the album has throughout. It's loose, breezy. Nothing superbly memorable, though. Favorite track: "The Pearl"

A very diverse and emotional album that was nice to listen to even if it didn’t entirely grab my attention. My main highlight was One Big Love, so I guess it’s kind of a shame that was the one song Harris didn’t have a songwriting credit on, but there was some other good stuff on here too (Michaelangelo and Tragedy for example)

I don't think I'm a fan of the contemporary production on this

This was perfectly pleasant and nice to listen to the singer the First Aid Kit song was about. I thought it was suitably pretty and enjoy those types of harmonies but this style isn't my favourite

I liked this and it's clearly some great stuff but I didn't love it. I can see the influences on a lot of bands I like. Looking at her massive discography I reckon there'll be some others in there that I'd like but this felt a little like it was country with more of a rock twist and I think I'd prefer the traditional stuff.

It is a 3 for me, but it Washington the first i got in touch with EH. For sure if i keep listening to it, it will be higher

I haven’t heard much Emmylou before. I expected this to be a poor introduction given how late in her career it was, but I thought it was pretty great. Not sure who produced it but it reminded me of Norah Jones’ first album, sonically. Comforting. Not likely to listen again, but happy to have listened.

A beautiful album, but perhaps not the most interesting one. Listening to this at double speed will not lose you much.

5/10. Kinda too long, and I only got into a couple of the songs

Good

Less country and quite unique. I can see how people love this album. Emmylou has a bunch of charm and some great songwriting skills. Just a bit too much of the same for me.

I was expecting some rollicking twangy country but got a pretty flat collection of fairly insipid yet tuneful slow ballads.

well produced just not my vibe

The album as a whole didn’t grab me. I liked the song Michelangelo. The rest were meh but ok as background music.

Almost gave this a 4. But really a 3 star album with a few tracks I liked more. Feels like very much a product of its time, right down to the Dave Matthews duet.

It's fine.

Alright. Generic

Otrolig röst. Bitvis reser sig nackhåren. Men tyvärr är flera låtar för dåliga. Det är med stor sorg jag tvingas ge en trea. Vill man höra en fem plus låt med E rekommenderas tex Orphan Girl.

Hon har en fantastisk röst och ingen låt är dålig, men precis som på Trio så är det heller ingen låt som riktigt lyfter (förutsättningarna för det finns sannerligen med den pipa hon besitter, så det är tråkigt). Blir ändå en svag trea pga hennes röst och jämnheten.

An album in which Emmylou wrote most of the songs, showing that she has more talent than just her voice. There are a couple of tracks I consider superfluous, the absence of which would make for a stronger, tighter album, but these are balanced out by songs like "Red Dirt Girl" and "Michelangelo".

Better than expected (because it wasn't complete honky-tonk) but a lot of samey stuff that dragged

Great voice

More mature and modern? Her work has certainly been grown up and clearly reflected in the songs here. The style is contemporary with a nag that some songs feel overproduced. It sits well with her earlier work.

Glad I summoned the patience, because this gets better by the 5th track. Good record.

This album is notable because Emmylou Harris wrote or co-wrote much of it. She is a legend in country/Americana and is one of its most memorable voices. This album is not the best presentation of her. While some of the songwriting is really strong, the 2000s production truly takes something from these collection of songs. The use of echo and reverb is irresponsible and cloaks the album in a weird haze. I would love to hear these songs in a more stripped down format with cleaner and warmer production. I still have to give it three stars because of the strength of the songwriting and vocal delivery.

Thoughts before listening: This is a surprising entry to the list for Emmylou Harris. She has a large back catalog of 70s country classics, but they include a 2000s album from her? Weird. I am expecting more of a folk album than country, and I am sure it will be enjoyable. Review: This is basically the definition of adult alternative. Its a very mature sound with strong production and well written songs....its also a little dull. Not bad necessarily, just not overly exciting to me. Definitely a stark difference between this and other recent albums I've gotten on here like NWA and Iron Maiden. I am listening with the lyrics pulled up onscreen, and these are great story songs with deep messages. Mostly dark and emotionally charged words with music that sets a similar tone. The song Red Dirt Girl is the only one I had heard prior to this listen, and it is probably the best song here. I also enjoyed I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now and My Antonia. Overall this was a fine listen, but its probably not something I'm ever going to play again.

Not her best. Uneven and over produced. Not all horrid but prob not worthy.

An elegant album with a crystal clear voice made by the queen of country. Emmylou Harris is an elegant woman too. I once had the honor of having breakfast at her table on one cool and clear Colorado morning. She is the most beautiful and refined person. Charming and full of grace. She has shaped country and bluegrass music now for decades paving the way for relative newcomers like Allison Krauss. Her voice on Red Dirt Road as in many of her albums will echo long in the marbled pantheon.

True, there's beauty in sadness, but damn, this album is hella depressing. Feel bad hating on an artist from HoCo, so I won't. This is great music for staring out water-soaked paned glass on a dismal gray day, or soaking in the sadness of a recent loved one that's passed. It was a difficult listen for me because it's sunny here and I've shoved all my sad feelings into the dark places of my soul.

A nice listen on a rainy weekend morning. This being Emmylou’s 19th album is impressive.

Country music with some very interesting, almost cinematic, modern production. There are times when it doesn't work (Michelangelo), but other times it's stunning (J'ai fait tout). Good listen overall.

Les années passent et on se fout toujours aussi royalement de ce que racontent les chanteurs de country. Les ranches au Texas ça ne parle à personne.

Je laisse à mon camarade d'écoute robpissaladière le soin de dire tout ce qu'il pense de la country de merde.

Preferred the faster ones but generally some high quality coun’ry in there.

Quite a lovely album over all but not my genre and hence don’t feel like I’d ever revisit. But it’s actually quite a lovely listen.

de unaa. 7/10

This is a pretty interesting album. Some songs I rather like, some I kind of don’t. I think my biggest disappointment is the instrumentation. Probably 1/3 of the songs include “drum box” rather than real drums, which gives a predictably mechanical feel. All of the songs have the layered, polished production typical of turn of the century pop. These are not what I expect from Emmylou Harris, and I think this would’ve been a much stronger album with a more “traditional” sound. It won a Grammy for “Best Contemporary Folk Album”, but it is more contemporary than folk. It’s a solid 3, but might’ve ranked higher (for me) if it actually sounded like an Emmylou Harris album. 3/5

Listened Before? N Surprisingly good. Reminds me of many other artists, but she has a unique sound as well. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Red Dirt Girl

Need to relisten not sure how I missed this first time around

Voix magnifique, production lèchée.

On m'avait vendu mieux

my bad elle m’a légèrement saoulee

Beautiful voice, lovely production.

It’s a pretty good album. I didn’t realize this is the first album where she wrote almost all of the songs.

Love her. Like this.

This was good, and a lot caught my attention, but why am I getting late career albums from an artist like this? Shouldn't I be getting the foundational work? Is it because this was her first album where she wrote most of the songs?

Decided to listen to another album of hers as I hadn't listened to any before. Cute, I'm not the biggest country fan.

actually better than her older album i got from the list.

This was good. I like this style of country/folk, and even though it's not something I would put on often, this is certainly a record I wouldn't mind listening to again.

I am not familiar with Emmylou Harris at all, and this reminds me of so many other artists. She has a tremendous voice and these songs are affective for sure. Not sure if it's something that will spark subsequent spins, but a fine album nonetheless.

Decent country

I used beautiful to describe voices a lot, in this case I am more than justified. This didn't capture me as much as other Emmylou Harris albums I've heard. I can place my finger on what is didn't. May be my mood today File under give this another few listens

Quite poetic. Never really listened to her stuff and expected it to be more straight forward C&W and less Americana. Pretty good stuff.

Whoa, this is our second from Emmylou Harris, released 25 years after the other we reviewed which is crazy, talk about longevity. This album is notable for being the first where she actually wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, as opposed to doing covers. Wild that it took decades into her career to release her own stuff like that, I admire the commitment to keeping a hidden talent hidden. That said, I can't say I found too much that jumped out at me, nor much reason to return to this one. A consistent sound achieved, but it's not all that interesting amid so many singer-songwriter albums that we've reviewed to this point. It's alright. Favorite tracks: Tragedy, One Big Love. Album art: What exactly is this shot? Artistic for sure, but Emmylou is off to the side in some space, maybe a tour bus? No idea. But it's a fine cover. 3/5

I like her voice and this was a nice listen - though probably not something I'd come back to. I'm used to hearing her sing covers so I definitely give her kudos for her songwriting

Solid country of a more modern slant. Though thoroughly competent, a touch monotonous musically.

Plus points are a great voice, original songs and, I think, a largely successful attempt to update the traditional country formula with production that adds a modern sheen (often hitting a sweet spot between epic and chilled). My main complaint is that it goes on too long and, although there are subtle attempts to vary the tempo, it became quite samey for me. I suppose my other complaint is the suspicion that this is not an 'essential' album in terms of either content or context. All considered: 2.5 / 3 stars

Yeah okay have preferred her other albums more

ahoooo girrrrrrrrr

Cat: Absolutely beautiful. So much emotion and melancholy that it makes me feel sad without even knowing what she’s saying. I know she has to be a major influence on Brandi Carlile. AJ: She’s good.

Lovely, well-crafted songs. Surprisingly strong, affecting songwriting from Emmylou Harris, who up to that point wasn't generally known as a songwriter. Harris is also in excellent voice, as she always is. The pace can drag a bit at points, but it grows on you as the album progresses. Fave Songs: Bang the Drum Slowly, J'Ai Fait Tout, My Antonia, Boy from Tupelo, Michelangelo, Red Dirt Girl

been familiar with her name for years but not much beyond very superficial knowledge of who she was. never would have selected this album on my own - really beautiful.

Even though I generally concur with the review currently topping this section (stating that Dimery's list sometimes focuses on late-career releases from artists who were probably way more iconic when they were younger, therefore taking a spot that could have been used by new blood), I have to admit there were some touching or heartfelt moments in this album. I don't know much about Emylou Harris' output before this 2000 release, but taken out of that context, a lot of those songs still have something endearing and/or memorable to them. Besides, the mere fact that this is the first LP where Harris wrote most of the tunes in it makes it interesting to listen to... Too bad a lot of those ballads are a little too long, however, and that their production values are somewhat unobtrusive and safe. This here is far from the bold statements "late" abums by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash were. In comparison, the sound of *Red Dirt Girl* follows the sort of MOR template that was typical of the early naughts: a little drum programming here, some clean, echo-laden guitars there.. And consequently, some parts of this work didn't age that well... I'll probably revisit this one later on, though, just to get a better hang of the compositions (but *when*? Gosh, it's hard to keep the pace with this thing sometimes, lol). In the meantime... Number of albums left to review: 572 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 206 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 100 (including this one, even though I doubt there will be enough room left for it) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 126

C’était chill mais un peu plate, je lui donnerais un 2.5 si s’était possible

Solid. 3/5

Nice vocals and music but lacked intimacy

I don't really like much country, but this is the kind I do like! Harris has an incredible voice, very detailed with a lot of subtleties. I was also surprised at some of the instrumental parts on this record: there were spacious, reverb-heavy guitars, driving rhythm-led songs, and even a track that bordered on psych rock. All in all a very solid and pleasantly surprising album.

I get it, probably will not revisit tho

Not my jam

Ritmo tranquilo para una voz muy femenina y relajada. Canciones un tanto planas y sin muchos acompañamientos.

A hair gospel-y, but actually really enjoyed it. 3.5

26th January 2023 Listened in bits and pieces across today and the 27th. Worked in London and headed home to see work been done by builders. Watched the menu. Crystal clear vocals and classic country sound. 3.5 if I could.

Låter nästan som en julskiva. Helt okej!

I really tried to like this but I feel like the genre and aesthetics just really aren’t for me still some of these tracks had surprisingly impressive production and Harris’ voice really shines on many of these songs definitely not a bad album but not really for me

The mix sounds like she's softly serenading me in a gym toilet. More of a background music album, Sort of feels like a proto Lana del ray. Very nice voice just didn't catch my ear. Favourite track - I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now and Tragedy (loved the harmonies)

Not bad, but not something I'd choose to listen to - 3 stars

som de qualidade, calmo e pa, mas não fez tanto a cabeça

Good album, although I do think it runs a bit long considering how similar many songs are.

Classic Harris

More folk than country, but that type of American folk that is right between the two. Good, but not great, with no songs that will live long in the memory. Perfectly pleasant though.

I like Emmylou but am maybe a bigger fan of her older work and her collaborations.

Favorite tune "J'Ai Fait Tout". There’s some good storytelling in Red Dirt Girl. I enjoyed listening to this throughout. Not really what I expected at all. More folk than country. Cool textures and percussion throughout. Lots of mood and vibe but I maybe would want some more dynamics. Interesting vocal performance. It is so nice when the vocals on these albums are actually from a real singer.

This was pleasant

This is a good album by Emmylou Harris but not a great one. Not sure why it is on this list. She has many other albums that are better.

Emmylou Harris has a great voice, but most of the songs are overly similar and unremarkable. The only thing that saves this album from being a 2 is her voice, which is amazing. 3/5

A real gem of an album.

Frankly another one I didn't really expect to like. Emmylou has a nice voice, and the songs are quite pleasant. Can definitely see this having been an influence on a lot of the modern folk-ish stuff that I listened to a lot in college/immediately after/still occasionally today. Surprised how many songs I added to my playlists/my standouts. Standouts: I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, Red Dirt Girl, Bang the Drum Slowly, J'ai fait tout, One Big Love, Boy from Tupelo

Przerwa opisowa spowodowana brakiem palca, ale sluchane nadal bedzie

Decent singer-songwriter album. 3 stars.

Love her voice! It’s not completely my style, still I enjoyed this album. It’s good as a whole and has some nice songs on it. Favourite song: - One big love

Nice. Now this is good country music. Standouts: I Don't Wanna Talk About It Others: The Pearl, Michelangelo, Tragedy, Red Dirt Girl, Bang the Drum Slowly, Hour of Gold,

New country amb una veu d'un altre món i uns arranjaments de molta qualitat. Els temes són molt personals i va suposar la posada al dia de l'artista amb la seva contemporaneitat. Malauradament no hi ha grans cançons que quedin gravades a la memòria

A solid album, but it simply does not make sense to pick an arbitrary EH album and put it in the list. Literally everyone knows that Wrecking Ball is the EH classic from her >90s material.

Nice voice and sound; lost attention in the second half.

3.1 - This record contains all the trappings of a late album by a fading rocker trying gracefully to hang onto some shred of relevance: 1) Mid-tempo songs of fond reflection, 2) an audio mix that places the vocals front-and-center to showcase the artist in a more “honest” light, 3) careful sound engineering with a younger studio band that gives a modern sheen, 4) references to classic Americana. Your mom will hear a few cuts off this record on an NPR segment in which it’s hailed as “bold” and “full of life.” She’ll decide (“what the heck?”) to buy it off iTunes using the gift card you all gave her last Christmas.

Good, I enjoyed it.

Pleasant enough, but nothing special. A little less country than I expected. Standard singer/songwriter material.

So. Country music, this album brought me to understand, is about storytelling. Problem is, I’m not a strong lyrics person. With, say, the artistic end or hip hop, this has never been a problem, since the best DJs create a collage of samples and soundscapes intricate enough to take up all my attention. Country tilts in a different direction, compositionally; since I don’t usually pay much attention to the lyrical content, I get bored even more quickly than usual. (This, of course, is entirely my problem. It’s like a Christian complaining about a Muslim/Jew because he doesn’t eat pork.) One or two tracks aside, I doubt that I’ll consciously revisit this album. I did, in a way, enjoy it, though.

Beautiful voice. The songs were pleasant enough, but there was nothing that I felt I had to listen to again.

Folk might just not be my thing.

The music was alright, I enjoyed it for the most part. I won't regularly listen to it, but it was a nice change of pace of what I usually enjoy musicwise.

Pretty folky and I generally don't care for folk. I mean it's alright and pleasant, just not my thing. Has a little bit of a Brandi Carlile sound, just not nearly as good as her. 6/10.

Really nice voice, enjoyed the vibe too.

Chill laid back album, a lot of the songs sounded similar, didn’t grab me

6/15/2022 - ALBUM #139 Today's Album: "Red Dirt Girl" by Emmylou Harris - This is an album I have been waiting to review for a little while because honestly, it was hard to work up the motivation to review this album after my preliminary research. The Wikipedia article for this album labels Harris as a beloved **country** artist, so I generally didn't want to give it a shot given my typical reaction to country music. However, this album taught me that there is an important distinction between the contemporary folk country that Harris presents on this album and the more stadium country I grew up despising in the 2000s. The former category contains artist like Harris, Carol King, and John Denver, who put an emphasis on folk songwriting while still setting a more country vibe overall. This album really rides the line of not sounding too country very well. There's some rather simplistic instrumentation and vocal-oriented lyrics, but the sound of this album is actually quite refreshing when compared to something like Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. This album explores a lot of different songwriting techniques and has a lot of different sonic styles, but still manages to stay really rooted in an authentic aesthetic. The song Red Dirt Girl is the most played on Spotify, and although I like the great backdrop the wailing electric guitar sets, I think the vocal delivery has a heavier than usual country twang and the songwriting has enough of those, "Hard-workin' life" clichés to make it pretty annoying to me. The track I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now stands out more to me as a track that stands the test of time, with this bouncy groove between the drums and a fuzzy, distorted electric guitar that is complimented by a really strong vocal performance and a lot of colorful piano flourishes. The track My Baby Needs A Shepard also feels really fresh to me, with a chilled out instrumental that turns this folk tune into more of a sea-shanty in a way and just feels like the perfect anthem for exploring the unknown or going on a long journey. The closing track, Boy From Tupelo, is a pretty fun closer to this album as well, putting to work that electric guitar that has been shining throughout the record and switching up the percussion with some really great marimba and wood-block work. Overall, there are plenty of songs on this album to dislike the aesthetic of, but the general songwriting ability is all there and when you look a little further than surface level, there ends up being a lot in this album to love. It may not be an album I plan on coming back to for a full listen anytime soon, but anyone that wants an example of a decent country act should look no further than miss Emmylou Harris. Highlights: I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, My Baby Needs A Shepherd, Boy From Tupelo Score: 6.5/10 Folk-Country that shines when it's more folky than when it's country-y

I wish country had gone more this direction. Pretty good, drags a little at the end.

Genre: Alt-Country 3/5 Emmylou Harris, a legendary country musician, whose contemporaries include Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, has been active since the early 70s purely as a songbird. She never wrote too much of her own material, but her voice was one of the most wanted in the country music biz, and she stayed busy throughout her career, winning 14 Grammy's amongst other accolades. This album, Red Dirt Girl, dropped in 2000, changes the Emmylou mold a bit. Harris is writing a lot of her own material on this, and the music itself has a much more new-age, alt-rock flair to it, rather than a more straightforward country sound. As far as the album is concerned, regardless of how interesting a few of the production elements are here, it's a rather straightforward country album. The instrumentation is pretty lackluster, never growing above mezzo-forte and missing plenty of low end, but that's not necessarily why we're here. Harris' voice sounds very good, especially considering her age, and it helps to elevate a lot of the tracks here. I enjoyed the title track, Hour of Gold, and My Antonia the best, but I can't really tell you what differentiates them from the rest of the tracklist, except for some particular je ne sais quoi. Decent overall, with some interesting production, but fairly boring.

Very nice. Not my thing particularly, but would happily stick on a Sunday afternoon.

Emmylou Harris is lovely but the production is a bit too slick for me.

Niet meteen mijn favoriete muziek. Het klinkt denk ik wel aardig op een Amerikaans radiostation. ***

A pleasant but not particularly memorable album. It was a pretty effective hybrid of old-school country and modern pop sounds, and she has a beautiful voice but I was not really "wowed" at any point. The Dave Matthews duet and Bruce background vocals were nice surprises. It would probably be good to get a female perspective on this album and its lyrics.

Not bad not great. Like the voice a lot but songs left something to be desired.

Mér fannst þetta nú bara helvíti skemmtilegt!

Likes it more than I thought I would. Generally not a fan of country/contemporary folk, but the last few tracks reeled me back in. "Heart of Gold" is a great track, and loved the collaboration with Dave Matthews.