Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Old Yellow Moon (Nonesuch)
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., March 15, 2013
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Old Yellow Moon (Nonesuch)They first met in 1974, and later he joined her legendary Hot Band as guitarist and harmony singer. Although Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell today celebrate long, successful careers, they always wanted to record together, and nearly 40 years on comes Old Yellow Moon. The project gave them the opportunity to record – and in a couple of cases revisit – songs they meant to cut along the way but never got around to. With a mid-Seventies country-rock feel, they and their backers swing through Roger Miller's "Invitation to the Blues," turn Allen Reynolds' "Dreaming My Dreams" into a heavy breathing heart-stopper, and convey a misty night on the Hank DeVito-penned title track. Occasional miscues, including the frivolous "Black Caffeine" and mawkish "Open Season on My Heart," break the spell at times, but Old Yellow Moon still sounds like a couple of friends sitting around the kitchen table sharing songs. (11pm, Antone's)
