Customer Reviews

Angel Band

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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...)

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.

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.

This collection of 12 Gospel favorites, sung as only Emmylou Harris can sing them, is beautiful in it's simplicity. This isn't bluegrass, and it's not country, it's best described as acoustic Gospel. Mostly old songs from those floppy song books found in the pews of country churches (the floppy books were the ones you used on Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, and during revivals), Emmylou and an excellent supporting cast (including Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, and Mark O'Connor to name a few) sound truly inspired. Some of Emmylou's best singing is here, in my humble opinion - for example, cue up "When He Calls", or the a capella harmony of "Bright Morning Stars".

Highly recommended for acoustic and/or Gospel music lovers.

On this 1987 recording, Emmylou Harris focuses on country ballads with a Christian bent. Many traditional songs arranged by Harrisare heard here, including "If I Be Lifted Up," "Bright Morning Stars," "We Shall Rise," "Drifting Too Far," and the title track, "Angel Band." Songs by Paul Kennerly and Ralph and Carter Stanley are also featured.

Lyrically, the songs on ANGEL BAND revolve around the pursuit of redemption, forgiveness, and joy in a world of heartbreak and loss. Musically, the group, consisting of country greats Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, and Mark O'Connor among others, is sensitive, subtle and melodically compelling. Thehighlight of the album is the uplifting "When They Ring Those Golden Bells," which features fine instrumental work in addition to Harris's beautiful vocal performance.

Angel Band is one of Emmylou Harris' more obscure albums, a flawless gem of mostly traditional songs where her spiritual expression reigns supreme. Backed by acoustic and bass guitars, dobro, fiddle, mandolin, mandola and viola, the vocals are particularly impressive with the tenor of Vince Gill, the baritone of Carl Jackson and the bass of Emory Gordy interweaving perfectly with Emmylou's gorgeous voice.

It opens with the stirring Where Could I Go But To The Lord, which is followed by the title track, which is thematically similar to the well-known Swing Low Sweet Chariot. The third one, the rhythmic If I Be Lifted Up, reminds me of her version of Orphan Girl on the album Wrecking Ball, in its comforting lyrics. The non-traditional When He Calls with its lovely instrumental flourishes is a definite highlight. The lilting We Shall Rise is another, together with If I Be Lifted Up the most uptempo numbers among these generally slow ballads.

There is seamless continuity between the traditional and the non-traditional compositions like Someday My Ship Will Sail and The Other Side Of Life. The album concludes with the uplifting When They Ring Those Golden Bells. Angel Band is an album of tender and yearning hymns, mournful and comforting at the same time. Those who love Emmylou's bluegrass excursions like the album Roses in the Snow, will love this neglected classic.

This is what pure is all about! I keep this CD in my car at all times. I highly recommend "Angel Band." I play it in the morning and hum all day!

In Emmylou Harris's long and storied career, she has produce many fine Country albums.My favorite CD of her's is the classic debute, "Pieces of the Sky". But a close runner-up and big favorite of mine is the wonderful gospel/acoustic album, "Angel Band".I think what makes this album so good is the simplicity that is inherent within it.We get to hear Harris's beautiful, voice against a variety of acoustic, wooden instruments. Even though this isn't a remastered recording, you can hear the hush or silences between the breathes she takes.The spare musical accompaniment of her sessionmen is just right. Nobody is stepping on anyone's toes.One can hear their reverence for the spirtual nature of these songs.You can tell that the material for this album has been a carefully picked lot.My personal favorites are "Drifting to Far" and the Stanley Brother's classic, title song, "Angel Band". Emmylou brings such beauty to these songs.If you have ever had a stressfull day, I definitely recommend this album to put you in another state of mind.