Emmylou Harris
Wrecking Ball-Deluxe Edition
(Nonesuch)
4.5 out of 5 stars
Even with the luxury of 19 years to ponder, absorb and unravel its allure, Wrecking Ball still sounds groundbreaking. Many credit producer Daniel Lanois for pushing Emmylou Harris to work in a new sonic landscape back in 1995 when she was considered strictly a country/folk/bluegrass musician. But, as we find out from the DVD documentary on this expanded and remastered edition, the idea to work with Lanois was all Harris’. Even though this is as much his concept as hers, she was clearly ready to take the plunge into more adventurous waters.
For those unfamiliar with this Americana masterpiece that received nearly unanimous acclaim on its release and remains a high water mark in Harris’ bulging catalog, the dozen tracks are laced with Lanois’ now trademarked ominous atmospherics. Vocals are slurred, guitars are looped, drums subtly pound with tribal resonance all in the service of terrific, often obscure and deeply rearranged material from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and even Jimi Hendrix. The mix of folk/swamp/country and a hint of rock filtered through the Lanois mindset sounded nothing like anything Harris had previously recorded although Dylan’s 1989 Lanois produced Oh Mercy explored comparable territory with similarly successful results.
Wrecking Ball can be perceived as Harris’ Graceland, a project that changed how the world perceived Paul Simon and reinvigorated his career. Lanois recruited U2’s Larry Mullen Jr. as percussionist for the majority of the tracks and his understated work, along with jazz drummer Brian Blade’s, is essential to the dark, melancholy but never depressing vibe that flows from the first song to the last. The songs brim with loss, regret, longing, death and a general air of somber reflection perfectly revealed in music that captures Harris’ always crystalline vocals at their most raw and emotional.
It’s a goose bump raising performance that has lost none of its intensity over the years and is ripe for rediscovery in this updated version featuring wonderfully crisp remastering. A second audio disc of outtakes exposes some gems that didn’t make the cut including stripped down tunes from Richard Thompson and Leonard Cohen that while wonderful, haven’t been run through Lanois’ distinctive production mindset. Others such as two working versions of the stunning, enigmatic “Wishing Well,” Emmylou’s only co-writing credit on the disc, show the evolution of how the music was massaged and readjusted during the recording process.
The DVD’s 45-minute documentary on the making of the album is a terrific addition, even if many of the songs are accompanied by grainy footage of recording sessions at Lanois’ New Orleans home/studio. Only the omission of full live performances of Wrecking Ball material with Harris’ superb Spyboy band prevents this from being a perfect reissue of a near flawless album whose experimental beauty and daring musical approach remains fresh, inspirational and timeless.