Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions

Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions

ASIN: B00000JZBR

Track Listings

1. Loving the Highway Man

2. Raise the Dead

3. For a Dancer

4. Western Wall

5. 1917

6. He Was Mine

7. Sweet Spot

8. Sisters of Mercy

9. Falling Down

10. Valerie

11. This Is to Mother You

12. All I Left Behind

13. Across the Border

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Emmylou Harris once said of her four-shows-a-night salad days that she refused to sing anything on the hit parade, opting only for "bizarre, left-field songs" that "made it hard to make a living." Decades later, Harris still spends a lot of time in left field, and it's those offbeat, haunting gems--more than the classics here from Leonard Cohen or Jackson Browne--that make Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, her duet album with Linda Ronstadt, so memorable. That, and her exquisitely pained soprano--reminiscent of "cracked crystal," as Linda puts it--nestled up against Ronstadt's thicker, corduroy harmonies. With arrangements that meet somewhere between Harris's Wrecking Ball and Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind, the two explore a mood of morose dreaminess, but profound beauty. Ghosts gather here, to the sounds of rattling bones--in songs of abandoned love, of musical giants now gone silent, and of World War I soldiers, who parade from the arms of prostitutes to the arms of death. Left field, dotted with the wreckage of heartache and regret, never sounded better. --Alanna Nash

Tracks:

Loving The Highway Man
Raise The Dead
For A Dancer
Western Wall
1917
He Was Mine
Sweet Spot
Sisters Of Mercy
Falling Down
Valerie
This Is To Mother You
All I Left Behind
Across The Border

Amazon.com

Emmylou Harris once said of her four-shows-a-night salad days that she refused to sing anything on the hit parade, opting only for "bizarre, left-field songs" that "made it hard to make a living." Decades later, Harris still spends a lot of time in left field, and it's those offbeat, haunting gems--more than the classics here from Leonard Cohen or Jackson Browne--that make Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, her duet album with Linda Ronstadt, so memorable. That, and her exquisitely pained soprano--reminiscent of "cracked crystal," as Linda puts it--nestled up against Ronstadt's thicker, corduroy harmonies. With arrangements that meet somewhere between Harris's Wrecking Ball and Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind, the two explore a mood of morose dreaminess, but profound beauty. Ghosts gather here, to the sounds of rattling bones--in songs of abandoned love, of musical giants now gone silent, and of World War I soldiers, who parade from the arms of prostitutes to the arms of death. Left field, dotted with the wreckage of heartache and regret, never sounded better. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

Soothing tunes for your soul........2006-09-07

The music on this CD is so beautiful, so soothing, and so relaxing that it's hard for me to describe with mere words. You will have to hear it for yourself. I will tell you this- I don't care what life dished-out to bring you down during the day, if you play this CD when you get home it will free your mind. I call it "Western Wall" therapy. Linda & Emmylou, I can't thank you enough.

Emmylou & Linda a perfect Duo........2006-08-31

Emmylou and Linda are a perfect duo on this CD. The vocal backing of Kate and Anna McGarrigle makes it even extra interesting. The most catching title on this CD,I think, is "Valerie".

About a number of songs where Emmy does the lead vocal, one can hear that her stile is building up towards her later CD "Red Dirt Girl".

Once you love Emmy's and Linda's music, no doubt you should have this CD in your collection.

A folk-rock masterpiece.......2005-04-16

This 1999 collaboration between Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt is more folk rock than country in its unique atmospheric sound. It opens with Loving The Highwayman, where the two share lead and harmony vocals. Written by Emmylou, Raise The Dead has her on lead, harmony and electric guitar on a moving tribute to Hank Williams and Bill Monroe.

They lovingly interpret Rosanne Cash's Western Wall, whilst 1917 is a slow melancholy ballad with some lines sung in Latin. The tempo picks up a bit on He Was Mine, a gorgeous display of interweaving voices, and on Sweet Spot, which is a type of brooding rock ballad. For me, the highlight of the album is definitely this evocative cover of Sisters Of Mercy. The simple arrangement does not stray too far from Cohen's original, but the harmonies are exquisite as are the backing vocals by Canadian folk legends Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

The next track, Falling Down is in the big rock ballad mould and is followed by the lilting Valerie, a gripping song of the road. Another highlight of the album is the Sinead O'Connor song This Is To Mother You that gets a fragile and tender treatment. Emmylou's composition, the mostly acoustic All I Left Behind, is very poetic and moving. The album concludes with Bruce Springsteen's Across The Border, a beautiful song of transcendence and hope.

Western Wall is a masterpiece in its execution, but requires some getting used to for devoted fans of Emmylou. Unlike all of her work, from Pieces Of The Sky to Stumble Into Grace, this album entirely lacks Emmylou's characteristic soulful expression. I award it four stars only in comparison to the best of Harris' work; as a folk rock album, it certainly belongs in the five star league next to the work of artists like Richard and Linda Thompson, the McGarrigles and Lucinda Williams.

WOW! This album is a stunner..........2004-12-21

Whenever you see reviews of an album that are as polarized as the reviews are for this one, check it out!! Those listeners expecting Ronstadt and Harris to stay in the same musical box as their previous "Trio" releases will be quite surprised. This music cannot be easily categorized. But it will enter your consciousness and you will find yourself thinking about it long after you've listened to it, and wanting to hear it again. For those who haven't heard it yet, give it a chance. For those who have heard it and dismissed it, listen to it again. For those who have heard it and love it, listen to it again.

A High Point in 2 Careers.......2004-11-10

This CD marks a high point in the brilliant careers of both Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, two of the finest singers of their generation. These exquisitely selected and performed songs show off both their voices and their taste.
Two particular highlights: Sinead O'Connor's "This Is To Mother You," and Patti Scialfa's "Valerie." But every cut is fine.

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