Emmylou Harris/Rodney Crowell – Old Yellow Moon (Nonesuch)
Even though Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have enjoyed a creative partnership dating back to the duo’s first meeting in 1974, the idea of a duet album is something that’s been percolating for nearly four decades.
Revisiting past accomplishments is always a risky proposition. While Harris and Crowell do just that by way of the latter’s self-penned “Here We Are” (first done as a 1979 Harris/George Jones duet) or the sprightly “Blueberry Wine,” (originally cut for Harris’ 1975 debut Pieces of the Sky), these old friends pull it off without missing a step. Elsewhere, songs by Roger Miller (the tear-in-your-beer “Invitation to the Blues”), Kris Kristofferson (a snappy “Chase the Feeling”) and Allen Reynolds by way of Waylon Jennings (the harmony-goosed “Dreaming My Dreams”) are all effortlessly executed. Nostalgia may be a harsh mistress but given the deep-seated chemistry between Harris and Crowell, this trip to the past winds up being that rare triumph.
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell will be appearing in a free show on Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with Robert Ellis at Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. For more information, please call 212-875-5456 or visit lcoutofdoors.org
