Hard Bargain is the twenty-sixth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, released on April 26, 2011,[1] and recorded at Tragedy/Tragedy, TN. The album is her fourth solo recording for Nonesuch Records.
| Hard Bargain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | August 2010 | |||
| Genre | Country Folk, Americana | |||
| Length | 53:04 | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Jay Joyce | |||
| Emmylou Harris chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (6.9/10) MC 69/100, 19 critics |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   2011 |
| Billboard |   2011 |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ link |
| guardian.co.uk | link |
| Los Angeles Times |  link |
| PopMatters.com | link |
| Slant Magazine | 2011 |
| The Independent | link |
| New Zealand Herald | link |
| Paste Magazine | link |
| Country Weekly | link |
| The Press (York) | link |
With 17,000 copies sold in its first week, the album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums,[2] Harris' highest entry since her bluegrass LP Roses in the Snow in 1980. At the same time it debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200,[3] displacing 1977's Luxury Liner as her most successful solo LP ever on that chart.
Album information
editThe songs which were to become the "Hard Bargain" album were, according to Emmylou, recorded within four weeks in August 2010. Only three people can be heard on the album, namely Harris herself, producer Jay Joyce, and Giles Reaves. In December 2010, six video clips were filmed at Laughing House Studios, Nashville, TN, directed by Jack Spencer.[4] These videos, with additional commentary, can be found on the bonus DVD of the album's deluxe release.
The opening number "The Road" is about the late Gram Parsons, her musical mentor who died in 1973 and is the first Harris-penned song to directly focus on his death since "Boulder to Birmingham", a track from her 1975 release Pieces of the Sky.
"My Name Is Emmett Till" tells the story of Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was killed in 1955.
"Darlin' Kate" is a tribute to the late Kate McGarrigle who died of cancer in 2010. Kate, and her sister Anna McGarrigle, collaborated with Harris on numerous occasions since the 1970s.
"New Orleans" makes references to Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the city in 2005.
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Emmylou Harris, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Road" | 5:31 | |
| 2. | "Home Sweet Home" | 3:45 | |
| 3. | "My Name Is Emmett Till" | 4:53 | |
| 4. | "Goodnight Old World" | Harris, Will Jennings | 3:55 |
| 5. | "New Orleans" | Harris, Jennings | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Big Black Dog" | 3:26 | |
| 7. | "Lonely Girl" | 4:44 | |
| 8. | "Hard Bargain" | Ron Sexsmith | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Six White Cadillacs" | Harris, Jennings | 3:22 |
| 10. | "The Ship on His Arm" | 4:46 | |
| 11. | "Darlin' Kate" | 3:08 | |
| 12. | "Nobody" | 5:04 | |
| 13. | "Cross Yourself" | Jay Joyce | 3:36 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "To Ohio" (with The Low Anthem) | Ben Knox Miller, Jeffrey Prystowsky | 3:27 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Six White Cadillacs" (video) | |
| 2. | "Goodnight Old World" (video) | |
| 3. | "Home Sweet Home" (video) | |
| 4. | "Darlin' Kate" (video) | |
| 5. | "Big Black Dog" (video) | |
| 6. | "The Road" (Acoustic Version) (video) |
Personnel
edit- Emmylou Harris – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jay Joyce – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, omnichord, ganjo, mandolin
- Giles Reaves – drums, keyboards, percussion, piano, organ, vibraphone, marimbula
Charts
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 48[5] |
| Australian Country Albums Chart | 2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 39 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 95 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 20 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 27 |
| Canadian Country Albums Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 15 |
| German Albums Chart | 49 |
| Irish Individual Artist Albums | 36 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 28 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 11 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 15 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 76 |
| UK Albums Chart | 30 |
| UK Country Albums Chart | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 | 18 |
| US Billboard Top Country Albums | 3 |
| US Billboard Folk Albums | 3 |
| US Billboard Rock Albums | 6 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | April 26, 2011 |
|
Nonesuch Records | [6][7] |
References
edit- ^ "Emmylou Harris | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (2011-05-04). "Emmylou Harris' 'Hard Bargain' Debuts at No. 3 on Country Chart". The Boot. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (2011-05-04). "Adele Tops Billboard Albums Chart Once Again - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "Hard Bargain | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Recording Industry Association". ARIA. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ Harris, Emmylou (April 26, 2011). "Hard Bargain (Liner Notes)". Nonesuch Records. 525966-2 (CD).
- ^ "Hard Bargain by Emmylou Harris". Apple Music. Retrieved 22 July 2023.