Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Emmylou Harris: Christmas & Hard Times Come Again No More

I've said before that Emmylou Harris' voice reminds me of Christmas. So why has it taken me until this year to discover her album of Christmas songs: Light of the Stable? Some things in life are truly inexplicable.

Light of the Stable is absolutely gorgeous with guest appearances from Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and more. It combines well-known traditional songs like O Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel with lesser-known songs like the beautiful There's a Light and the country-blues twinged Angel Eyes. This is the kind of album that makes you want to sit around a crackling fire with eggnog and the whole traditional kit & caboodle. Definitely going in my permanent Christmas rotation.

Since I couldn't find an Emmylou Christmas tune on YouTube (if you know of one, please pass it along), here is a video of Stephen Foster's great song "Hard Times Come Again No More." That's a youngish Rufus Wainwright, if you couldn't pick out his voice! Also Emmylou Harris, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Mary Black, Karen Matheson, and Rod Paterson.



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