Interesting but flawed

A review of "Wrecking Ball" by Emmylou Harris

FIRST CRITICISM: The album is badly named.
The track "Wrecking Ball" is about love that goes on after the relationship has ended. It is a double pun, contrasting the damage done by a wrecking ball with the beauty of taking one's love to a dance; (the kind of dance where you break up), conjuring up a bitter sweet image of something broken yet alive, really very clever ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND IT. However, an album title should not be so obtuse. It should sum up the content of the work in one phrase to someone who has not yet heard it. For 99.99% of people seeing this album in a record shop a "Wrecking Ball" is a large metal object for demolishing buildings, probably the title of a heavy metal album.

Apart from the theme of love continuing after separation this album also expresses the themes of liberation from an unhappy life, nostalgia for one's childhood, belief in the mythical Jehovah, internal corruption and fading with age. Emmylou would have been better advised to call it "Old Woman's Blues".

SECOND CRITICISM: Second rate vocals.
Emmylou has very little character to her voice. This makes her perfect for singing harmonies on other people's records, (which is where she has had most of her success). Unfortunately it is not much good when singing the lead, which is why her solo success has been much less than that of Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstandt, both of whom exhibit far more "character" in their voice.

I note 2nd rate intonation in some songs. Check out "Wrecking Ball" and "Deeper Well" for example. I know nobody's perfect but I expect better than this at this level. Unless she is doing it deliberately, perhaps to ape Neil Young, but that would be just silly.

Inappropriate and childish is her habit of drifting off into falsetto midway through a word. Sure yodeling is part of the Country and Western tradition but in my opinion it is out of place here. She doesn't do this every song but it's irritating when it happens, especially bad are "Where Will I Be" and "All My Tears".

Most serious of all is her habit on many songs of not pronouncing words fully, especially leaving off the last syllable. This might have been cool in the days of Elvis Presley but at her age she ought to know better. A mature artist should go to some trouble to select songs with good lyrics. To then not pronounce them is a crime. Again this is not every song but it is irritating when it happens, especially bad are "Where Will I Be", "Goodbye", "Wrecking Ball" and "Orphan Girl".

Her singing is not actually bad, it's just that it is not first rate. There are any number of singers who could have done better justice to this material. When you consider the quality of the production it's a shame not to have a first rate singer out front.

THIRD CRITICISM: Poor choice of songs.
When you have the resources at your disposal as they had on this album, why choose second rate songs? In particular "Every Grain Of Sand" is not one of Bob Dylan's better efforts. Considering the vast output of his genius there are plenty of good and great songs of his to cover, "Every Grain Of Sand" is not in that category. There are other examples of second rate songs on this album although not as starkly inferior as this. The fact that no hit was forthcoming from this effort, despite the money and talent poured in, eloquently proves my point about the quality of the songs.

THE PRODUCTION
The great thing about this album is that is has Daniel Lanois producing. He brings a rich, dark and sombre feel to this work that is quite unique. He has really taken Country in a new direction, the Lanois direction! Considering he was been U2's producer on their 2 biggest albums it is not surprising that it sounds at times like a U2 album. In particular check out "Where Will I Be". If Bono were singing it would BE U2! Indeed Emmylou even sounds a bit like Bono on this track.

The mix is dominated by the bass, the bass drum and the snare, as well as the lead vocal. Guitars, harmony vocals, mandolin and banjo etc are well back and almost irrelevant. He gets away with this because the bass is so rich, thick and deep that it carries everything. Check out the amazing bass on "All Mt Tears"... One can only imagine the multi tracking, effects and heavy EQ that made this possible. There is much electric guitar here but it is always heavily loaded with effects and always spacey, similar to Edge's guitar but further back. In fact this album demonstrates quite clearly who is responsible for U2's sound. Daniel could get rid of The Edge, Mullens and Clayton and so long as he kept Bono he could still make U2 records.

CONCLUSION
I am well aware that many people think this is one of the best albums ever made and if they get great enjoyment from it then good luck to them! However that doesn't mean it doesn't have flaws, or that I shouldn't point them out.

I see where these people are coming from. Lanois has produced a rich and addictive sound which does grow on you. And this rare, velvet tapestry tends to make most people, (especially those don't sing), overlook its flaws. The tendency is to unconsciously associate the masterful production with Harris (since it's her album), so that one becomes blind to the grave flaws in her singing. When you realise that the genius in this work is Lanois and not Harris you should be able to see her for what she is, (unless you are a confirmed, one-eyed Harris fan of course, in which case your fate is sealed).

The same psychology applies to the choice of songs. Classy treatment like this could make you think "Mary Had A Little Lamb" was a masterpiece!

Overall, this is a worthwhile and interesting, even classic! but deeply flawed album. Emmylou's singing is not first rate, the songs are mostly weak and the production, though groundbreaking and addictive, is not, in my opinion, the best way to display country music. All would have been forgiven though if it were full of great songs. There were only three that I liked: "All My Tears", "May This Be Love" and "Waltz Across Texas Tonight". If the other 9 had been of that standard or better THEN it would have been a great album.

If you want to get an idea of what this album could have been with its faults corrected get "Achtung Baby" by U2. Now THAT is a great album! Even though the production on Wrecking Ball is more polished than Lanois' earlier effort, yet the first rate singing, the quality songwriting, the cohesive theme and the compelling development from track to track on Achtung Baby really take you somewhere. This is what is missing from Wrecking Ball, CONTENT! and this is why Wrecking Ball cannot be counted amongst the greats.

3/5

Warren Mars - May 12, 2007