Emmylou Harris Revamps ‘Wrecking Ball’
recking Ball” sets a high bar that the rest of the album clears, with a mix of innovative original songs and covers of material by Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Julie Miller.
Accompanying the shift in both the style and roster of musicians was a tonal change from the layered polish of her previous records to a more ambient, spacious sound with a sense of sonic experimentation. According to Bill Flanagan, contributing to the album’s sleeve notes, “This is the kind of record that has no business being made anymore.” His response reflects the industrial climate in 1995, where radio playlists had calcified into rigid formats and the album format itself was at risk of being overshadowed by CDs’ compact volume of data. As a CD, the album’s potential runtime was some seventy-five minutes, longer than vinyl LPs and design inconceivable for contemporary streaming services.
Yet the record industry’s priorities didn’t deter Harris, who entered the studio with Lanois and shaped its performances in a state of live communication between musicians and producers. As Lanois explained, “I get into a record as a listener first, and once it’s been dressed up … I’m not as much of a buyer.” In that spirit, Harris ensured that her own instrument would set the sonic course for the album. “The steel guitar is such a communicative instrument, and it’s possible to over-communicate with it,” she observed during mastering. “I wanted to make sure that the song came through [instead]. I gave it a lot of room.”
Harris’ subsequent projects struggled to attain the focus, sustained inspiration, and emotional range reflected on Wrecking Ball. Yet the album gave her the confidence to continue exploring new ground while maintaining her awareness of country music’s vibrant history. “Tradition, to me, has never meant that you’re supposed to keep it all pure and [unchanged],” she noted. “You’re supposed to have a part in the carrying on of the tradition … and at the same time wonder where it’s going to take you next.” That journey became successive chapters in an expansive career that saw her united with peers like Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for a string of successful Trio albums; dabble in electronic music on another Lanois collaboration, Red Dirt Girl; re-examine the American songbook with Grammy-winning projects like Horses and Ballad. Today Harris is founder and steward of the artist commune and performance space Bonaparte’s Retreat, named for her beloved dog.
In reflecting on Wrecking Ball’s challenges and inspiration, Welch sees it as a daring reinvention that, contra to expectations, actually elevates her artistry. “It’s a testament to her willingness to take chances, coupled with a devotion strong enough to encompass constant reinvention,” she points out. In coming years, Harris would give voice to this same spirit of discovery, emboldening her expansive albumography to prove that stretching as an artist while embracing diverse influences often brings the most beautiful—and unforeseen—rewards.