Alabama-born Emmylou Harris was one of the most influential country singers of the 70s and beyond. Originally a more folksy singer with one album already under her belt, Harris' life and musical direction changed after a 1971 gig in New York, when she was approached by audience member Chris Hillman. A member of the Byrds, and then the Flying Burrito Band, Hillman put Harris in touch with… Read more in Amazon's Emmylou Harris Store
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Twenty-eight years after her major label debut, Emmylou Harris remains as vital, electric, and bold an artist as the young woman who moved to Nashville in the early ‘70s. But where she once carried on Gram Parsons’ vision of wedding hardcore country to contemporary rhythms, for the past decade Harris has explored an acoustic sonic landscape rooted in folk, yet set apart by driving percussion, world-music elements, and gauzy and ethereal vocals. Stumble Into Grace follows the Grammy-winning Red Dirt Girl with an even bleaker and beautiful collection of songs, almost all of which she wrote or co-wrote. Two songs concern themselves with social commentary, the slant-eyed "Time In Babylon" (co-written with Jill Cuniff of Luscious Jackson), poking a stick in the eye of designer fashions and TV culture, and the affecting "Lost Unto This World" framing scenes of female genocide throughout the ages. Yet much of the program has an Emily Dickinson quality about it, as if told from the point of view of a woman looking back on her past life, realizing it is almost over, and finding herself nearly crazed from lost opportunity, lost loves, and loneliness. Even her elegy to June Carter Cash, "Strong Hand," where Linda Ronstadt guests, centers on the "miracle of how one soul finds another." A poetic spirituality lifts up even the most hopeless lyric, as do the otherworldly background vocals (Julie Miller, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and Jane Siberry) and producer Malcolm Burn’s haunting instrumental touches (a Cuban churanga and a deftly-placed accordion, which offers a sympathetic wheeze). At 57, Harris may be square in the middle stages of chronological life, but as a performer, she is still in the forefront of genre-transcending artistry. --Alanna Nash
Product Description
Stumble Into Grace, like its predecessor, is a self-composed opus - only the third of her career. It is also produced by Malcolm Burn, and features guitarist Buddy Miller and drummer Brady Blade, core members of her band Spyboy, featured on Red Dirt Girl. Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.
This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)
The fascinating thing about the recent spate of Emmylou Harris recordings is the way in which she pushes at the boundaries of traditional music while still staying true to it's emotional core. For all it's subtle world-music touches, the music on this albums remains as raw-boned and rural as a smoked Virginia ham. Each of Emmylou's recent albums has explored different facets of the Folk music Canon, and to my ears, this is her Spirituals album. Rather than simply regurgitating a bunch of hoary old mountain hymns, she has blessed us with a clutch of original songs, meditations on love and loss and letting go.
If you live any kind of examined life, there comes a point where you do seek a certain grace in going forward, especially as you grow older and realise there is suddenly less time than there is more. There is nothing depressing about this. It's just part of living, and this album captures the emotional core of these feelings perfectly. Bottom line, this is a tremendous album by an artist at the top of her game and is more than worthy of your attention.
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 starsAn artist of integrity, December 29, 2003
This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)
Whatever one may think of her recent work, Emmylou Harris has always been true to her artistic self. When mainstream country turned away from her (much to country's loss, in my opinion), she gracefully let it go in favor of making her own unique kind of music.
It can't be said that Harris has gotten stuck in a rut, either. This latest album is different in sound from her last, "Red Dirt Girl," and in some ways more appealing. There is more variety to the productions of the songs (most authored or co-authored by Harris), with an effort to include a greater range of sounds and timbres in the instrumental backgrounds. Not surprisingly, some of the most appealing tracks are those where this variety comes to the fore, such as the somewhat Celtic sounds of "Little Bird" or the accordion/fiddle combination that lends an agreeably Cajun cast to her rendition of the traditional "Plaisir d'amour," throwing unexpected light on the French words.
The core of Harris' voice has darkened in timbre and shortened in range over the years, and one or two of the songs display a tendency to hang out in the lowest octave, muttering gloomy thoughts, that made "Red Dirt Girl" a somewhat depressing listening experience overall. Happily, the artist seems determined not to let the same pall fall over this outing, though there is now a noticeable break between her low and high registers. She turns even this to her advantage, though, in passages of ethereally lovely harmonizations with her sympathetic assisting artists.
On the evidence of this CD, music fans should stick with Emmylou Harris for the duration. There's a lot of good music in her yet.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 starsImpossibly Beautiful!, September 30, 2003
This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)
My guess is that if you are reading this review, you are already a fan. You already know that Emmylou is in a class by herself and is impossible to classify. Labels like country, rock, bluegrass or folk simply don't apply. Her music is all of that but also goes way beyond any of those definitions. This new CD is exquisitely beautiful and a must buy. These songs are almost like prayers. They are filled with grace, love and passion. They bring tears to your eyes and put a smile in your heart.
This is the 4th Emmylou CD since she broke all conventions and found her own voice. What started with Wrecking Ball, Spyboy and Red Dirt Girl is now fully realized. If you loved her because of her links to Gram Parsons, you will love her even more now that she has emerged from his shadow. This is the music she was destined to make and somewhere in heaven Gram Parsons is smiling.
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4.0 out of 5 starsSongs that Grow on you
As stated by previous reviewers, it may take some time for this album two sink in. There are no obvious hits, but here are some incredibly delicate ballads some of which may well...
Published 5 months ago by Morten Vindberg
4.0 out of 5 starsLiked RED DIRT GIRL MORE, but still a great CD :)
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Published 21 months ago by Jeremy Gloff
5.0 out of 5 stars"...another long night to be alone.."
The longer Emmylou continues,the better she gets.This,in my opinion, is the best album that she has made and the main reason for that is ,since she wrote most of the...
Published on April 6, 2007 by J. Guild
3.0 out of 5 starsStumbling Toward Ecstasy
Not convinced with her previous efforts [Wrecking Ball too spacey, Red Dirt Girl too art-house] why she doesn't stick to her goldmine inherencies [as the greatest backup singer of...
Published on December 23, 2005 by jeffrey christian
5.0 out of 5 starsStunning!
Emmylou Harris is staying true to herself. She doesn't take on anyone else's style or do anything artsy-fartsy. This album is just plain Emmylou.
Published on January 3, 2005 by Morgan Basile
3.0 out of 5 starsPretty, but...
Emmylou Harris looks positively angelic on the cover, and that's a tip-off to the kind of music to be found here: angelic and pristine, but unfortunately, a bit short on passion...
Published on October 4, 2004 by B. Niedt
5.0 out of 5 starsI stumbled onto Emmy Lou's album by grace
I am not a music critic. I listen to what speaks honestly about values and experiences in my own life.
Published on August 14, 2004 by Marylyn Rands
1.0 out of 5 starsconfusing album
All the "songs" on this album sound alike, same cadence and just what do the words mean? Emmylou, please go back to what you do best, country. Remember, GP still lives!
Published on August 12, 2004 by AL.W PITTMAN
3.0 out of 5 starsStumbling into the Wall
This is the least interesting album Emmylou has put out in ages, yet what else did I expect after an opening line as uninvolving as "I am standing by the river"?
Published on August 3, 2004 by Gianmarco Manzione
5.0 out of 5 starsAnother jewel in her crown
Although it differs in tone from her masterpieces Wrecking Ball and Red Dirt Girl, Stumble Into Grace is another treasure trove of her post-country magic.
