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Red Dirt Girl
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 15 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Nonesuch
Release Date: 12 September 2000
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Country, Rock
Summary
Similar in sound to 1995's adventurous 'Wrecking Ball,' this album of original Harris tunes features guest appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and Jill Cunniff (Luscious Jackson), among others.
Also By This Artist: All I Intended To Be Stumble Into Grace
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris: All The Roadrunning
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Mojo
Her songs, paradoxically both epic and intimate, shimmer and pulsate as their kaleidoscopic images and mysterious characters drift in and out of focus.
Read Full Review >Billboard
This time there's less gimmickry, more sympathy for the words and melodies. Harris... has crafted 11 profound, graceful poems that rank with the best songs she's ever recorded.
Read Full Review >Wall of Sound
Harris is making music that stands with -- and perhaps eclipses -- her most well-regarded work.
Read Full Review >Sonicnet
Red Dirt Girl is a model of tasteful genre blending: a little bit country and a little bit electro-ambient pop.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Five years ago she collaborated with Brian Eno and U2 producer Daniel Lanois on the ambient Wrecking Ball. Now she returns with a less intense but no less powerful new record that continues that album's heavy/ethereal vibe, courtesy of producer (and Wrecking Ball engineer) Malcolm Burn, but with a more melodic touch.
Read Full Review >CDNow
The songs don't vary a great deal dynamically. Harris' lyrics set Red Dirt Girl apart.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine
Though the album follows the path cleared by Wrecking Ball, Harris takes more confident strides... Unfortunately, a little knowledge of the recording studio can be a dangerous thing, and Red Dirt Girl occasionally crosses the line from mellow into mannered.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Alternately sparse and lush, Red Dirt Girl can be seen as a companion piece to 1995's Wrecking Ball... The diverse production only adds to Harris' earthy songwriting, adding interest to what could otherwise be lulls during the more subdued songs, and really showcases the understated lyrics that the singer has slowly become recognized for.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
This collection of mostly originals, her first since 1985's The Ballad of Sally Rose, is swamped in beauty: swooning vocal harmonies; delicate poetics; lilting Celticisms.... But Red Dirt Girl is stiflingly exquisite.
Read Full Review >Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
What a weird (dishonest? ironic? clueless?) name for a record that's all literature and arty sound effects.
Read Full Review >Spin
Mud-footed trip-hop production... [Nov. 2000, p.208]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Timothy F gave it a9:
genuinely sing-a-longable and a deep reaching sincerity in her delivery of the lyrics. the sure and easy phrasing of each song unites the album musically, while the wistful, down-home text ties the album together thematically.
matthew c gave it a4:
to touchy
raVen gave it an 8:
Good album. Worth buying for the title song alone, but others like "My Antonia" w/Matthews will keep it spinning in your player.
Jim P gave it a 9:
Pretty good album. The *pre-quel* to STUMBLE INTO GRACE. Since RDG won the Grammy, I would expect SIG to effectively challenge too.
Martin F gave it a 10:
Okay, so some of the lyrics aren't original eg "bang the drum slowly" Can't think of the others at the moment. But this is one of the most beautiful record I have ever heard. Emmylou's voice has one of the most beautiful voices going, and here it really shines. The songs range from earthy "Red Dirt Girl" "I don't wanna talk about it now" to "mystical "The Pearl" "Michelangelo" But all of them demand to be heard. Buy this
Mung gave it a 2:
synthesized crap from an artist that should know better.
Alden T. gave it a 9:
EH at her very best. The songs are personal and focused. As a "farm boy" who is now a "city slicker" I find in it music that really speaks to me
