Light of the Stable [Bonus Tracks]

by Emmylou Harris

Overview

Emmylou Harris culls something old and something new on this 2004 reissue of her essential 1980 Christmas album, which adds three newly recorded tracks. The acoustic outing is marked by Harris's distinctive and delicious vocals, which color this set of mostly traditional carols with the warmth and spirit of the season. Assisting her is a fine lineup of backup players, notably former Hot Band member Ricky Skaggs, whose fine picking gives familiar tunes such as the buoyant and beckoning "Christmas Time's A-Coming" and the sweet and somber "O Little Town of Bethlehem" a cozy, homespun feel. Adding to the disc's stark beauty are harmonies throughout from bluegrass gospel sirens (and sisters) Sharon and Cheryl White, who cushion Harris's a cappella reading of "The First Noel" to spine-tingling effect. Speaking of gorgeous harmonies, the willowy tenor of Harris's voice is ably matched by duet partner Nancy Ahern on a pair of tunes, including the spare Irish lullaby "Golden Cradle," which captures the holiday's meditative side. And where could Harris find a finer backing trio than Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Neil Young, who add resonant "Hallelujahs" to the title song, a twangy interpretation that's both stirring and soothing. Rodney Crowell's lovely "Angel Eyes" pairs Harris with Skaggs and Willie Nelson, and together they make this spiritual ballad one for the ages. On the new additions, Kate & Anna McGarrigle bring their feathery harmonies to bear on their arrangement of the traditional "Cherry Tree Carol," on Beth Nielsen Chapman's solemn "There's a Light," and on the sisters' own contemplative ballad, "Man Is an Island." Suffused with the beauty and grace of the Christmas season, Light of the Stable burns steady and bright.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/09/2004
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227611026
catalogNumber:	76110
Rank:	4413

Tracks

1. Christmas Time's A-Coming
2. O Little Town of Bethlehem
3. Away in a Manger
4. Angel Eyes
5. The First Noel
6. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
7. Little Drummer Boy
8. There's a Light
9. Cherry Tree Carol
10. Golden Cradle
11. Silent Night
12. Man Is an Island
13. Light of the Stable

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Emmylou Harris   Primary Artist,Acoustic Guitar,Vocals
Ricky Skaggs   Banjo,Fiddle,Mandolin,Violin,Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Rodney Crowell   Acoustic Guitar
Willie Nelson   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Dolly Parton   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Albert Lee   Mandolin
Linda Ronstadt   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Neil Young   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Brian Ahern   Acoustic Guitar,Banjo,Bass,Percussion,Autoharp,Gut String Guitar,6-string bass
Tony Brown   Clavinet
Glen D. Hardin   Piano,Keyboards
Hank DeVito   Pedal Steel Guitar
Emory Gordy   Bass
Anna McGarrigle   Accordion,Keyboards,Vocal Harmony
Frank Reckard   Electric Guitar
John Ware   Drums
Cheryl White   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Sharon White   Background Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Kate McGarrigle   Acoustic Guitar,Banjo,Vocal Harmony
Brian Bowers   Autoharp
Nancy Ahern   Vocals
Mike Bowden   Bass

Technical Credits

Beth Nielsen Chapman   Composer
Rodney Crowell   Composer
Harry Simeone   Composer
Franz Gruber   Composer
Brian Ahern   Arranger,Producer,Audio Production
Rick Clark   Liner Notes
Katherine K. Davis   Composer
Tex Logan   Composer
Janie McGarrigle   Composer
Anna McGarrigle   Arranger,Composer
Henry Onorati   Composer
Steven Rhymer   Composer
Kate McGarrigle   Arranger,Composer
A.L. Phipps   Composer
Jean Krikorian   Art Direction
Joseph Mohr   Composer
Elizabeth Rhymer   Composer
Phillips Brooks   Composer
Nancy Ahern   Arranger
Traditional   Composer
James R. Murray   Composer
Doug Beal   Engineer
Jonathan E. Spillman   Arranger
Lewis Redner   Composer
Henry Onerati   Composer

Editorial Reviews

Emmylou Harris is an artist with the rare sort of voice that communicates an honest and firmly grounded humanity while possessing a crystalline purity that verges on the angelic. In short, she was a singer born to make a great Christmas album, and in 1979 she did just that with Light of the Stable, in which she fused the high-lonesome traditional sound she'd been exploring on Roses in the Snow and Blue Kentucky Girl with songs that honored the spiritual and emotional roots of the holiday season. The album's gestation began with a 1975 single of "Light of the Stable," with most of the material recorded years later, but Harris and producer Brian Ahern gave the project an admirably unified sound, which speaks of Christmas with a quiet dignity that's celebratory but reverent -- this is one of the few Christmas albums from a secular artist that scarcely mentions Santa Claus while focusing clearly on the birth of Christ. Harris and Ahern assembled a stellar cast for these sessions -- the pickers include Ricky Skaggs, James Burton, and Rodney Crowell, while Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Neil Young pitch in backing vocals -- but the results are a marvel of restraint, with precious little showboating and a handful of performances that rank with the performers' best work. If you're looking for a disc that will kick up your Christmas party a few notches, Light of the Stable isn't it, but if you want to hear music of quiet but compelling beauty which warmly resonates with the true meaning of the holidays, then you'll find this album is an experience to treasure. [In the liner notes to Rhino's 2004 reissue of Light of the Stable, Harris jokes that "We used to affectionately call the album the best-kept secret in the music business...that is why we could put it out with a different cover every year." While she exaggerates a bit, the 2004 edition of the disc did indeed feature its third set of cover artwork, as well as three new songs recorded especially for this edition. While the new songs display traces of the more adventurous approach Harris embraced on Wrecking Ball and Red Dirt Girl, they still fit comfortably with the album's original ten tracks, especially the lovely "There's a Light" and "Man Is an Island," while the new mastering makes the most of the album's crisp, warm sound -- if Harris didn't exactly improve a masterpiece, she certainly gave it a new finish that reinforces the qualities that make it so memorable in the first place.]

All Music Guide - Mark Deming