Money Winter 1998

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Emmylou Harris, Spyboy (Eminent Records, 1998)

While much contemporary gospel music seems to come from the same formula factory in Nashville, leave it to a Nashville veteran to make a gospel album in the vein of Psalm 61. "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Emmylou Harris clearly knows these words by heart.

Though Harris, 51, is usually classified as an old school country girl, on Spyboy she brings gospel music to a fresh place where longing, seeking, and knocking are much more than a contrived package. Throughout Spyboy Harris cries with an overwhelmed heart, but she also finds hope and comfort in the Rock.

"All My Tears," the first single from the album, is a good starting point. "When I go don't cry for me / In my Father's arms I'll be. The wounds this world left on my soul / will all be healed and I'll be whole. / Sun and moon will be replaced / with the light of Jesus' face / and I will not be ashamed / for my savior knows my name." These lyrics—sung by one of the most exquisite voices in American music—ring with a sincerity that is painfully absent from much contemporary gospel. It doesn't hurt to have Julie Miller, the song's author, backing Harris up on this simple and rich tune.

Spyboy (named after Harris's splendid live band) takes us through the various stages of Harris's career, though Daniel Lanois' production of her last studio album, Wrecking Ball, echoes through every song. The recording is filled with guitar-laced melodies and atmospheres that emphasize the message, as acoustic picking combines with subtle, moody electric chimes that only partly fill in the empty spaces.

Harris's band ...

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