Where Could I Go But to the Lord - Emmylou Harris, Coats, James B.
Angel Band
If I Be Lifted Up
Precious Memories
Bright Morning Stars - Emmylou Harris, Public Domain [1]
When He Calls - Emmylou Harris, Kennerley, Paul
We Shall Rise
Drifting Too Far
Who Will Sing for Me? - Emmylou Harris, Stanley, Carter
Someday My Ship Will Sail - Emmylou Harris, Reynolds, Allen
The Other Side of Life - Emmylou Harris, OBryant, Alan
When They Ring Those Golden Bells
Nestled in the sparest, most pristine musical surroundings of her career, Emmylou Harris delivers her most sublime vocal triumph with this 1987 collection of acoustic gospel songs. By this time, her voice had taken on a sl... more »ight huskiness, which only strengthened its emotional power. Much of the credit belongs to Vince Gill, who adds tasteful mandolin runs and gorgeous tenor harmonies, as well Emory Gordy (bass, bass vocals) and Carl Jackson (guitar, baritone vocals). All four combine to make the a cappella "Bright Morning Stars" glow warmly and the ebullient "We Shall Rise" shine brightly. When Harris's voice shivers on "Precious Memories" and soars on "If I Be Lifted Up," the result is indeed spiritual. --Marc Greilsamer« less
Nestled in the sparest, most pristine musical surroundings of her career, Emmylou Harris delivers her most sublime vocal triumph with this 1987 collection of acoustic gospel songs. By this time, her voice had taken on a slight huskiness, which only strengthened its emotional power. Much of the credit belongs to Vince Gill, who adds tasteful mandolin runs and gorgeous tenor harmonies, as well Emory Gordy (bass, bass vocals) and Carl Jackson (guitar, baritone vocals). All four combine to make the a cappella "Bright Morning Stars" glow warmly and the ebullient "We Shall Rise" shine brightly. When Harris's voice shivers on "Precious Memories" and soars on "If I Be Lifted Up," the result is indeed spiritual. --Marc Greilsamer
"My son at 4 years old listened to this CD non-stop while going through a bone-marrow transplant for Leukemia. We played it everyday for six years until his death. This is truly a CD that is uplifting to the soul, the way music is meant to be! (Two years later our singing to this CD still makes me smile...)"
An Album Made In Heaven!
H. F. Corbin | ATLANTA, GA USA | 12/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bluegrass gospel doesn't get better than this. While Ms. Harris can sing any type of music she chooses to, she is never better than when she does these simple country/bluegrass traditional numbers. There is a wealth of material on this CD. My least favorite, through no fault of Ms. Harris, is "Where Could I Go But To The Lord." I never cared for that one as a child and my feelings haven't changed. The best cut, I think, is Bright Morning Stars." Mr. Harris' a capella rendition will put chills on your spine-- or a tear to your eye. Then there is the title cut "Angel Band." Another favorite of mine is the Ralph Stanley song, "Who Will Sing For Me." Much bluegrass music is nothing is not seeped in melancholy. This one is as sad as it gets. The singer laments that having sung for the funerals of so many friends, that there won't be anyone to sing for her. That's good stuff! I'm also fond of Ms. Harris' very fast arrangement of "We Shall Rise."I'm sure that city folk will like most of these songs on first hearing. For those of us who grew up in country churches, they go straight to the heart and quickly carry us back to our childhoods.Ms. Harris plays acoustic guitar on this CD and is joined on the vocals by Vince Gill, Carl Jackson and Emory Gordy. These male voices complement Ms. Harris' high, otherworldly soprano voice that is recognizable immediately."
Great!
orange6646@aol.com | u.s.a. | 01/23/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One day I was driving home from work when I heard on the Public Radio station that I was listening to the most incredibly haunting and beautiful song! I listened with my mouth hanging open, it was so magical. When it ended, I listened eagerly to hear the name of the singer. The song was Drifting Too Far, from Angel Band, by Emmylou Harris. I found it in a record store the next day and have played it dozens of times since. This cd is, I believe the most heart-felt that Ms. Harris ever sang, and I have listened to nearly of of her other work The songs a very Christian, but also universal in their appeal, bringing to mind the misty hills of Ky., Tenn., and W. Va. and the best qualities of rural life. Some songs to carry a note of sadness or wistfulness, but they are so appealing that anyone would love them. Ms. Harris, as so often in her body of work, touches the heart very deeply. This is a classic cd that I consider a key part of my cd collection."
Emmylou and Vince and Carl and Emory and Mark and Jerry....
Mark J. Fowler | Okinawa, Japan | 03/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Emmylou has recorded several albums that had a theme to them and that's true on this collection as well. The "theme" here is "let's take some of the most beautiful hymns ever written, get the most beautiful voices and the most beautiful instrumental soloists, and record those songs." Emory Gordy is a rock-solid foundation, vocally and instrumentally on the upright bass. Carl Jackson has one of the smoothest and appealing voices in American music. (Additionally he is a wizard on banjo and guitar, which he plays here.) What can you say about Vince Gill? If you don't think Vince Gill is a great singer, go ahead and look at some other CD - this one's not for you. On this CD Mr. Gill plays lovely mandolin while adding that angelic tenor harmony ABOVE Emmylou's! The trios of Emmy, Vince and Carl are just heavenly, and Mr. Gordy adds his fine vocals to the occasional quartet. All of the above are complemented with Mark O'Connor on fiddle and Jerry Douglas on dobro. If this isn't the music playing in heaven, I don't want to go."
How can you review a band of angels?
Dan Huth | Canton, OH USA | 01/06/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I came to Emmylou Harris' music via Wrecking Ball, then Red Dirt Girl, then Spyboy. At that point I was overwhelmed by this woman's music, and set about acquiring her back catalog. Many of her 70's and 80's albums are outstanding, but none of them, I think, surpass the unearthly beauty of Angel Band.I am a person very unlikely to enjoy an album of nothing but acoustic country spirituals; Angel Band is just that: totally acoustic and mostly recorded live in a barn outside of Nashville. Every one of the twelve songs is somehow connected with religion, and most of them specifically mention Jesus' name.Nonetheless, I have fallen totally in love with this album. The music is sublime; Emmylou and her accompanyists play and sing beautifully. The album opens with "Where Could I Go But to the Lord" and ends with "When They Ring Those Golden Bells" and I would pray for an encore but how do you do that for a band of angels?That's what the album feels like to me. Angel Band is the nearest thing I can imagine to hearing the music angels would make (if an angel for you is a Christian being) and I think it easily equals the beauty of Wrecking Ball and Spyboy and Red Dirt Girl. I'm not an especially devout person, and not a proselytizer; buy this album for the beautiful (angelic) music on it. I'm a bit ashamed to say this, because it sounds sappy, but I think I become a better man every time I listen to Angel Band."