Return Of The Grievous Angel/Hearts On Fire/I Can't Dance/Brass Buttons/$1000 Wedding/Cash On The Barrelhead-Hickory Wind/Love Hurts/Las Vegas/In My Hour Of Darkness
Grievous Angel was the posthumous follow up album from country artist Gram Parsons who was briefly with The Byrds. Here he is joined by Emmylou Harris who would soon enjoy a successful solo career. (US:195)
“Grievous Angel showed me that there is a world of country music out there that is enjoyable, well written and tasty.”
“Another enjoyable collaboration with Emmylou Harris, this is some absolutely gorgeous country material which teases out the softer side of Gram's sound.”
“The album focuses on melancholic and easy going ballads, which could be enjoyable enough if they didn't sound so predictable, and in most cases, corny. A couple of upbeat tunes provide some fun. Instrumentally it has some sweet guitars and some violins as well.”
“You have to admire Gram for bringing country music to a wider audience as at the time this genre was not that popular. I remember country as being one of the most clichéd genres and it was not that well thought of except by the diehard fans.”
“Released a couple of months after his death, Parsons seems to imply that with this record, he knew his time was up. There are only two new self-penned songs, the rest are either covers or songs he'd written a long time back. What helps elevating the album to blissfulness is the singing of Emmylou Harris. Their voices combine for some truly pretty moments, especially on their version of Love Hurts. Even though the album overall is somewhat maudlin, Parsons throws in a couple of fun songs to break up the mood.”
“What I don't like is that some of the songs are so full of country music clichés: the guitars, the vocal melodies. Sure, there is some variety, but this has been elevated to some sort of cult status that in my opinion it doesn't deserve.”
“From the first listening you will realize that Gram Parsons was special, his voice, style and songs. They all come together in a country hybrid sound that makes this collection one of my top desert island discs.”
No comments:
Post a Comment