Bluegrass gospel doesn't get better than this. While Ms. Harris can sing any type of music she chooses to, she is never better than when she does these simple country/bluegrass traditional numbers. There is a wealth of material on this CD. My least favorite, through no fault of Ms. Harris, is "Where Could I Go But To The Lord." I never cared for that one as a child and my feelings haven't changed. The best cut, I think, is Bright Morning Stars." Mr. Harris' a capella rendition will put chills on your spine-- or a tear to your eye. Then there is the title cut "Angel Band." Another favorite of mine is the Ralph Stanley song, "Who Will Sing For Me." Much bluegrass music is nothing is not seeped in melancholy. This one is as sad as it gets. The singer laments that having sung for the funerals of so many friends, that there won't be anyone to sing for her. That's good stuff! I'm also fond of Ms. Harris' very fast arrangement of "We Shall Rise."

I'm sure that city folk will like most of these songs on first hearing. For those of us who grew up in country churches, they go straight to the heart and quickly carry us back to our childhoods.

Ms. Harris plays acoustic guitar on this CD and is joined on the vocals by Vince Gill, Carl Jackson and Emory Gordy. These male voices complement Ms. Harris' high, otherworldly soprano voice that is recognizable immediately.

My son at 4 years old listened to this CD non-stop while going through a bone-marrow transplant for Leukemia. We played it everyday for six years until his death. This is truly a CD that is uplifting to the soul, the way music is meant to be! (Two years later our singing to this CD still makes me smile...)

I came to Emmylou Harris' music via Wrecking Ball, then Red Dirt Girl, then Spyboy. At that point I was overwhelmed by this woman's music, and set about acquiring her back catalog. Many of her 70's and 80's albums are outstanding, but none of them, I think, surpass the unearthly beauty of Angel Band.

I am a person very unlikely to enjoy an album of nothing but acoustic country spirituals; Angel Band is just that: totally acoustic and mostly recorded live in a barn outside of Nashville. Every one of the twelve songs is somehow connected with religion, and most of them specifically mention Jesus' name.

Nonetheless, I have fallen totally in love with this album. The music is sublime; Emmylou and her accompanyists play and sing beautifully. The album opens with "Where Could I Go But to the Lord" and ends with "When They Ring Those Golden Bells" and I would pray for an encore but how do you do that for a band of angels?

That's what the album feels like to me. Angel Band is the nearest thing I can imagine to hearing the music angels would make (if an angel for you is a Christian being) and I think it easily equals the beauty of Wrecking Ball and Spyboy and Red Dirt Girl. I'm not an especially devout person, and not a proselytizer; buy this album for the beautiful (angelic) music on it. I'm a bit ashamed to say this, because it sounds sappy, but I think I become a better man every time I listen to Angel Band.

On this 1987 recording, Emmylou Harris focuses on country ballads with a Christian bent. Many traditional songs arranged by Harrisare heard here, including "If I Be Lifted Up," "Bright Morning Stars," "We Shall Rise," "Drifting Too Far," and the title track, "Angel Band." Songs by Paul Kennerly and Ralph and Carter Stanley are also featured.

Lyrically, the songs on ANGEL BAND revolve around the pursuit of redemption, forgiveness, and joy in a world of heartbreak and loss. Musically, the group, consisting of country greats Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, and Mark O'Connor among others, is sensitive, subtle and melodically compelling. Thehighlight of the album is the uplifting "When They Ring Those Golden Bells," which features fine instrumental work in addition to Harris's beautiful vocal performance.

This is what pure is all about! I keep this CD in my car at all times. I highly recommend "Angel Band." I play it in the morning and hum all day!