Released in December 1975, just a few months after PIECES OF THE SKY, Emmylou Harris's ELITE HOTEL is already a first achievement in her career. Twelve songs, twelve little musical pearls. One would never repeat enough that half of the success of a singer depends on the members of the band playing in the recording. In ELITE HOTEL, the Angel Band hides such great names as Glen D. Hardin at the piano, James Burton at the electric guitar or Herb Pedersen at the banjo. Some of you certainly remember that Glen D. Hardin and James Burton used to play with another successful singer : Elvis Presley...

Twelve musical pearls because, like in PIECES OF THE SKY, Emmylou gives to the musicians the opportunity to develop superb instrumental solos. In my opinion, Buck Owen's " Together Again " can be compared to Ray Charles's version partly thanks to the incredible piano arrangement invented by Glen D. Hardin. The supporting vocals are also terrific, specially in Gram Parson's " Sin City " , John Starling forming with Emmylou a duo that has haunted me for days.

Three songs recorded live " Ooh Las Vegas ", " Sweet Dreams " and Hank Williams's " Jambalaya " and an homage to Emmylou Harris's former mentor Gram Parsons with " Sin City ", " Ooh Las Vegas " and " Wheels ". At last, a perfect version of Lennon/McCartney's " Here, there and everywhere " that is going to make you wonder why this song is not one of the most known recording of the Beatles.

A CD for your library.

Beautiful, vulnerable, full of musical integrity, and possessing a voice so pure that you could drink from it - one could easily make the argument that Emmylou Harris was the Alison Krauss of the 1970's. "Elite Hotel" was Emmylou's second effort after working with the late Gram Parsons, and in some ways typical of a lot of her work - tributes to her mentor ("Sin City" and "Wheels") while putting a rootsy spin on a broad spectrum of material, including The Beatles "Here, There, and Everywhere," Patsy Cline's (well, Don Gibson's, if you want to get technical) "Sweet Dreams," and Buck Owen's "Together Again."

Her voice is quite capable of breaking the hardest of hearts - but I also enjoy the more uptempo numbers (her backing group, The Hot Band, was and remains one of the truly great ensembles), like the driving "Amarillo" (Emmylou's only original) and the rollicking "Feeling Single, Seeing Double" (the little growl in her voice when she intones "wound up in a whole lotta trouble" makes my knees knock!). And her plaintive plea on "One of These Days" - "there's gonna be peace of mind for me/one of these days" - is the very essence of quiet desperation.

Listening to any Emmylou Harris collection is an artistic pleasure and an education in American music. "Elite Hotel" set the bar at a high level, and put Emmylou on the way to becoming the stateswoman of country/Americana music that she is today.

Emmylou Harris' second Warner/Reprise album follows the pattern of its predecessor, Pieces of the Sky. Genre-wise, it's a mixed bag containing everything from Hank Williams ("Jambalaya") to the Beatles ("Here, There and Everywhere"); stylistically, it's an absolutely coherent masterpiece that unifies those vastly different genres and elevates them to a higher plane. Emmylou co-wrote the lead-off track, the rollicking "Amarillo," with Rodney Crowell, a superb singer-songwriter in his own right whose professional relationship with Emmylou has been long and fruitful. Crowell penned what's arguably the finest song on the album, "Till I Gain Control Again," a confessional ballad with a slow rhythmic groove that draws the listener in utterly and completely. Three Flying Burrito-era Gram Parsons tunes--"Sin City," "Ooh Las Vegas" and "Wheels"--add lyrical depth and stark musical imagery to Elite Hotel, and even the Buck Owens chestnut "Together Again" is rendered with such passion that the borderline-trite lyrics seem profound. Perhaps the most moving track of all is Earl Montgomery's "One of These Days." Reputedly the singer's mother's favorite, it showcases Emmylou's voice in a breathtaking balance between tenderness and tenacity, humility and grit. As good as it sounds on the first hearing, this album still grows on a person. After listening to Emmylou sing the classic "Sweet Dreams" enough times, even the most diehard Patsy Cline fan might wonder if the remake isn't superior. One caveat: The crowd noise (apparently dubbed in) between three of the tracks is annoying. All in all, it's a superb sophomore effort from the singularly divine entertainer who is Emmylou Harris.

ELITE HOTEL is pure magic. On this record there is some of the best country-rock in history. Emmylou Harris re-wrote the rules of country when she recorded this. Emmylou's vocals, the Hot Band, and the excellent arrangements, bring great flavor to an excellent group of songs. "Amarillo" is a fun Western song, the second one Emmylou Harris cowrote since GLIDING BIRD (the first was the shining "Boulder To Birmingham". Her first #1 single was "Together Again", in which she gives the song new power. "Feelin' Single-Seein' Double" is another prime example of the great country-rock sound. She brings new emotional charge to the beautiful "Sin City". The #3 hit "One Of The Days", is terrific as well, a great song. Rodney Crowell's beautiful "Till I Gain Control Again", recorded with the band from PIECES OF THE SKY, is given a sensational vocal performance. Her version of the Beatles "Here, There, And Everywhere" is enchanting. She makes the song an even more tender declaration of love. "Ooh Las Vegas" rocks. On the #1 hit "Sweet Dreams" she gives the song new character, new beauty. "Jambalaya" is fun, a great interpetation of a classic. The simple arrangements, and powerful beauty on "Satan's Jewel Crown" are stunning. She delievers a fantastic farewell with "Wheels", a song that rings with flavorful energy. ELITE HOTEL isn't my favorite Emmylou Harris album, but it's not far from the top of the list. When you hear this terrific album, you'll know why.

Elite Hotel was the follow up to Emmylou's magnificent Pieces Of The Sky. The tuneful material includes both achingly beautiful ballads and fast country rock. The album kicks off with the uptempo Amarillo full of twang, and is followed by the sensitive weepie Together Again which was her first number one country single in 1976.

The slow songs encompass a variety of styles: Sin City a gentle ballad with lovely male harmonising; One Of These Days, a number 3 hit on the country charts, is a lilting mid tempo ballad, whilst Till I Gain Control Again showcases Emmylou's interpretative skills to their best on his sensitive and evocative love song.

Lennon/McCartney's Here, There And Everywhere receive a subdued, mellow treatment, whilst Sweat Dreams, another country chart topper, is fragile and soulful. The most spiritual moment on the album is the moving Satan's Jewel Crown, a song that is up there in her repertoire with transcendent masterpieces like My Songbird and Calling My Children Home.

Besides Amarillo, the fast rockers include the rowdy Feelin' Single Seein' Double, the catchy and propulsive Ooh Las Vegas with its impressive playing, the lilting live recording of Jambalaya and the soaring mid tempo ballad Wheels, a duet with Jonathan Edwards. Full of yearning and acceptance, it is one of the most memorable road songs in any musical genre.

The two bonus tracks tie in perfectly with the mood of the album. The stirring ballad You're Running Wild is a duet with Rodney Crowell, whilst the buoyant Cajun Born is an energetic number from the same tradition as Jambalaya. They're both great songs that enhance an already brilliant album.

The most gripping moments on this album, in my opinion, are Together Again, Sin City, Till I Gain Control Again, Satan's Jewel Crown and Wheels. But Elite Hotel is as beautiful and essential as Pieces Of The Sky, Cowgirl's Prayer, Blue Kentucky Girl, Cimarron and Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town.