Legendary singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris brings her talents to the Ting Pavilion in support of a benefit show for Charlottesville’s Free Clinic. Not many other top-of-list names excelling in her chosen genres can outshine Harris—neither for the soft power of her inimitable voice or her laundry list of records and recognition as a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Billboard Century Award recipient, and Grammy Award winner ad nauseam.
No less impressive in her career are the innumerable successful collaborations she’s had, ranging from work icons like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison to Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton—the latter two with whom she released the hugely successful Trio (1987) and its sequel in 1999. Yet despite her accomplishments as a country-rock crossover solo artist in the 1970s, Harris decided to shift. By the early 1990s, having disbanded her backing group, a decision to infuse her music with alternative rock production choices resulted in 1995’s Wrecking Ball, a Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Folk Album and an important collection in the development of what has come to be known as Americana music.
In the 21st century, she’s continued to forge interesting collaborations with the likes of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen, Beck, and Ryan Adams; her voice even graced multiple tracks on the soundtrack for the Nick Cave written gangster movie Lawless (2012). As she hasn’t put out a new record of her own in some years, it’s probably a safe guess that Harris’ set will lean into covers, which she may pull from any of the aforementioned stars she’s worked with, or others including Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, or Guy Clark.
Opening act, multi-instrumentalist Tennessean Valerie June has a curious Appalachian and psych take on things. Her most recent work, this year’s Owls, Omens, and Oracles, carries with it a nasal gleefulness and an inventive wall of sound devoid of contemporary signposts. Tracks like “Joy, Joy!” and “Endless Tree” provide the type of feel-good engine a show like this needs to get everyone on the same page: inspired enough to be grateful, and ready to give until it stops hurting for everyone in town.
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