Music: Emmylou Harris

Published on Wednesday 10 September 2008 20:02

EMMYLOU HARRIS GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL

but that's a mixed blessing, as there were moments during this concert where an injection of earthy abandon could have lit a fire under Harris and her accomplished band and taken their playing to a more visceral level.

As it was, Rickie Simpkins's glowing fiddle and mandolin parts, and the occasional use of accordion, added texture and personality to the more traditional country material in the set, which was missing from the more sedate numbers Harris sometimes favours.

However, for an elder stateswoman of country, she still exhibits some of the quirks that made her such a trailblazer for the alternative country scene. What other grandmother would take the stage wearing sparkly Lurex tights with her cowboys boots? She reminisced fondly about past gigs in legendary rock venue, the Glasgow Apollo, and also appeared to revel in her status as "one of the few Americans who still smokes," painting a gleeful image of herself and Kate and Anna McGarrigle puffing away together round the kitchen table.

Ultimately though, Harris accords as much respect as she receives, paying tribute to her country heritage with songs by the Louvin Brothers and George Jones and keeping faith with old favourites such as Townes Van Zandt's Pancho and Lefty and Buck Owens' Together Again.

Always a great lover of harmony, she recruited Simpkins and keyboard player Phil Madeira for a sublime three-part country gospel a capella performance that was saturated in old-time soul and resonated more than anything else in her set.