Emmylou Harris Drives <i>Hard Bargain</i> on New Album

BY Alex HudsonPublished Feb 18, 2011

Emmylou Harris is one of the world's most sought-after backup vocalists, as she's lent her pipes to artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bright Eyes. She's also released a slew of celebrated solo albums dating back to the late '60s. Now, she's getting ready to step into the limelight once more with the new LP Hard Bargain, due out April 26 via Nonesuch.

Unlike much of Harris's early work, the album is mostly made up of original material, with 11 of the 13 songs being penned by the singer herself. The other two are "Cross Yourself" by Jay Joyce (who produced the album) and "Hard Bargain" by Ron Sexsmith.

As for what listeners can expect from the album, Harris said in a press release, "We did the whole thing with just three musicians, me being one of them. Jay, the producer, and Giles Reeves play everything between them. It's not a stripped down record though; there's only one song that's a little bare bones. I'm basically a slow ballad-y person, but Jay managed to really move the songs up a bit. But they still have the same emotional feel."

Longtime fans will be interested to learn that it features a song called "The Road," in which Harris addresses her early work with country singer Gram Parsons.

The album was recorded in a month and it will be available in a deluxe edition that will come with a DVD featuring six performances and interview clips. The tracklist is below.

Hard Bargain:

1. "The Road"
2. "Home Sweet Home"
3. "My Name Is Emmett Till"
4. "Goodnight Old World"
5. "New Orleans"
6. "Big Black Dog"
7. "Lonely Girl"
8. "Hard Bargain"
9. "Six White Cadillacs"
10. "The Ship on His Arm"
11. "Darlin' Kate"
12. "Nobody"
13. "Cross Yourself"

Latest Coverage