Emmylou Harris — Elite Hotel
Qobuz catalog review (February 2024)
It’s difficult to mentally uncouple Elite Hotel from its immediate predecessor, Pieces of the Sky. Both albums were released in 1975 (Elite in December, Sky in February), both bristle with the energy of an inspired new talent eager to make a name for herself (Harris considered Sky her proper debut album, and has all but disowned the tentative sounds of her 1970 Gliding Birdrelease), and both establish themselves quickly by forcefully opening with a doozy of a number written by Rodney Crowell. In the case of Elite Hotel, Harris chose “Amarillo,” which she co-wrote, and which wails with the same loose abandon of “Bluebird Wine,” but is a little more focused on heartbreak than on boozing. It’s one aspect of Elite Hotel that sets it apart from its predecessor, along with Harris’ open-hearted honoring of her late musical co-conspirator Gram Parsons. While Pieces of the Sky was conspicuous in its absence of Parsons’ material, Elite features three of Gram’s tunes: two from his time with the Flying Burrito Brothers (“Sin City” and “Wheels”), as well as “Ooh Las Vegas,” which Harris had previously sung with him on Grievous Angel. Nonetheless, Elite is far from a Gram Parsons tribute; instead, Harris mindfully and appropriately puts him alongside other great songwriters both classic (Hank Williams, Don Gibson, Buck Owens) and contemporary (Crowell, the Beatles) to deliver a remarkably diverse and dynamic album.
Crowell’s atmospheric, elegiac “Till I Gain Control Again” is an absolute highlight, with a haunting tone and emotional resonance that provides a stark contrast to the freewheeling album opener he co-wrote with Harris. The album’s production, helmed by Brian Ahern, is also impressive, with skillful, organic balance of instrumentation that allows Harris’s voice to take center stage, creating an intimate and full-sounding listening experience. The chemistry between Harris and the Hot Band — comprised of talented musicians such as Crowell, steel guitarist Hank DeVito, keyboard player Glen Hardin, bassist Emory Gordy Jr., and drummer John Ware — further elevates the album’s sonic landscape, and bridges the gap between traditional roots music and modern “cosmic American music.”
