After a long and sometimes bumpy career, Emmylou Harris has hit the mother lode over the past decade.
She started the new millennium with the highly acclaimed Red Dirt Girl, collaborated with Mark Knopfler on All The Road Running, which was highly successful in 2006, and in 2008 her last solo
album - All I Intended To Be - carried on her rich vein of form, while chalking up yet more sales and accolades.
So, with Hard Bargain, has she maintained the high standard she's set for herself? You bet.
Plus she's contributed 11 originals, including another tribute to her late muse and mentor, Gram Parsons.
Production is simple and effective, with a tight band consisting of Jay Joyce on guitars and Giles Reeves on drums, Moog bass, Rhodes keyboard and piano.
The Road, My Name is Emmett Till, Six White Cadillacs, and Ron Sexmith's title track caught my fancy.
Cross your fingers for a New Zealand concert sometime soon.
Rating: ****1/2
