Stumble Into Grace

Emmylou Harris | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: April 29, 2008
• Release Date: April 29, 2008
• Label: Nonesuch
• Copyright: 2003 Nonesuch Records
• Total Length: 45:11
• Genres:
• ASIN: B001AFWDSQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,273 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the future of folk music, October 9, 2003

By 

J. Sotelo "http://rollholer.blogspot.com/" (Sacramento CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)

The fascinating thing about the recent spate of Emmylou Harris recordings is the way in which she pushes at the boundaries of traditional music while still staying true to it's emotional core. For all it's subtle world-music touches, the music on this albums remains as raw-boned and rural as a smoked Virginia ham. Each of Emmylou's recent albums has explored different facets of the Folk music Canon, and to my ears, this is her Spirituals album. Rather than simply regurgitating a bunch of hoary old mountain hymns, she has blessed us with a clutch of original songs, meditations on love and loss and letting go.

If you live any kind of examined life, there comes a point where you do seek a certain grace in going forward, especially as you grow older and realise there is suddenly less time than there is more. There is nothing depressing about this. It's just part of living, and this album captures the emotional core of these feelings perfectly. Bottom line, this is a tremendous album by an artist at the top of her game and is more than worthy of your attention.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An artist of integrity, December 29, 2003

By 

klavierspiel "klavierspiel" (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)

Whatever one may think of her recent work, Emmylou Harris has always been true to her artistic self. When mainstream country turned away from her (much to country's loss, in my opinion), she gracefully let it go in favor of making her own unique kind of music.

It can't be said that Harris has gotten stuck in a rut, either. This latest album is different in sound from her last, "Red Dirt Girl," and in some ways more appealing. There is more variety to the productions of the songs (most authored or co-authored by Harris), with an effort to include a greater range of sounds and timbres in the instrumental backgrounds. Not surprisingly, some of the most appealing tracks are those where this variety comes to the fore, such as the somewhat Celtic sounds of "Little Bird" or the accordion/fiddle combination that lends an agreeably Cajun cast to her rendition of the traditional "Plaisir d'amour," throwing unexpected light on the French words.

The core of Harris' voice has darkened in timbre and shortened in range over the years, and one or two of the songs display a tendency to hang out in the lowest octave, muttering gloomy thoughts, that made "Red Dirt Girl" a somewhat depressing listening experience overall. Happily, the artist seems determined not to let the same pall fall over this outing, though there is now a noticeable break between her low and high registers. She turns even this to her advantage, though, in passages of ethereally lovely harmonizations with her sympathetic assisting artists.

On the evidence of this CD, music fans should stick with Emmylou Harris for the duration. There's a lot of good music in her yet.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossibly Beautiful!, September 30, 2003

By 

D. Spina (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stumble Into Grace (Audio CD)

My guess is that if you are reading this review, you are already a fan. You already know that Emmylou is in a class by herself and is impossible to classify. Labels like country, rock, bluegrass or folk simply don't apply. Her music is all of that but also goes way beyond any of those definitions. This new CD is exquisitely beautiful and a must buy. These songs are almost like prayers. They are filled with grace, love and passion. They bring tears to your eyes and put a smile in your heart.

This is the 4th Emmylou CD since she broke all conventions and found her own voice. What started with Wrecking Ball, Spyboy and Red Dirt Girl is now fully realized. If you loved her because of her links to Gram Parsons, you will love her even more now that she has emerged from his shadow. This is the music she was destined to make and somewhere in heaven Gram Parsons is smiling.