Hard Bargain (Emmylou Harris album)

Hard Bargain
Studio album by
Emmylou Harris
ReleasedApril 26, 2011
RecordedAugust 2010
GenresCountry Folk, Americana
Length53:04
LabelNonesuch
ProducerJay Joyce
Emmylou Harris chronology
All I Intended to Be
(2008)		 Hard Bargain
(2011)		 Old Yellow Moon
(2013)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStarStarStar [2]
Billboard(9/10) [3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+ [4]
The GuardianStarStarStar [5]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarHalf star [6]
PopMatters(8/10)[7]
Slant MagazineStarStarStarHalf star[8]
The IndependentStarStarStar[9]
New Zealand HeraldStarStarStarStar[10]
Paste Magazine(8/10)[11]

Hard Bargain is the twenty-sixth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, released on April 26, 2011,[12] and recorded at Tragedy/Tragedy, TN. The album is her fourth solo recording for Nonesuch Records.

With 17,000 copies sold in its first week, the album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums,[13] Harris' highest entry since her bluegrass LP Roses in the Snow in 1980. At the same time it debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200,[14] displacing 1977's Luxury Liner as her most successful solo LP ever on that chart.

Album information

The songs which were to become the "Hard Bargain" album were, according to Emmylou, recorded within four weeks in August 2010. Only three people can be heard on the album, namely Harris herself, producer Jay Joyce, and Giles Reaves. In December 2010, six video clips were filmed at Laughing House Studios, Nashville, TN, directed by Jack Spencer.[15] These videos, with additional commentary, can be found on the bonus DVD of the album's deluxe release.

The opening number "The Road" is about the late Gram Parsons, her musical mentor who died in 1973 and is the first Harris-penned song to directly focus on his death since "Boulder to Birmingham", a track from her 1975 release Pieces of the Sky.

"My Name Is Emmett Till" tells the story of Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was killed in 1955.

"Darlin' Kate" is a tribute to the late Kate McGarrigle who died of cancer in 2010. Kate, and her sister Anna McGarrigle, collaborated with Harris on numerous occasions since the 1970s.

"New Orleans" makes references to Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the city in 2005.

Critical reception

Hard Bargain was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 69, based on 19 reviews.[1]

Track listing

All tracks written by Emmylou Harris, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Road" 5:31
2."Home Sweet Home" 3:45
3."My Name Is Emmett Till" 4:53
4."Goodnight Old World"Harris, Will Jennings3:55
5."New Orleans"Harris, Jennings3:38
6."Big Black Dog" 3:26
7."Lonely Girl" 4:44
8."Hard Bargain"Ron Sexsmith3:23
9."Six White Cadillacs"Harris, Jennings3:22
10."The Ship on His Arm" 4:46
11."Darlin' Kate" 3:08
12."Nobody" 5:04
13."Cross Yourself"Jay Joyce3:36
iTunes/digital bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."To Ohio" (with The Low Anthem)Ben Knox Miller, Jeffrey Prystowsky3:27
Deluxe edition with bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Six White Cadillacs" (video) 
2."Goodnight Old World" (video) 
3."Home Sweet Home" (video) 
4."Darlin' Kate" (video) 
5."Big Black Dog" (video) 
6."The Road" (Acoustic Version) (video) 


Personnel

  • Emmylou Harris – vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Jay Joyce – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, omnichord, ganjo, mandolin
  • Giles Reaves – drums, keyboards, percussion, piano, organ, vibraphone, marimbula

Charts

Chart performance for Hard Bargain
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16]48
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17]39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18]85
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19]19
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[20]27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21]15
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22]49
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23]36
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24]28
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25]11
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[26]19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27]15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28]76
UK Albums (Official Charts)[29]30
UK Country Albums (Official Charts)[30]2
US Billboard 200[31]18
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[32]18
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[33]3
US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)[34]3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[35]6
US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[36]5

Release history

Release history and formats for Hard Bargain
Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America April 26, 2011
  • CD
  • music download
 Nonesuch Records [37][38]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hard Bargain by Emmylou Harris Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Emmylou Harris: Hard Bargain Tracks & Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Billboard. April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  4. ↑ Tucker, Ken (April 13, 2011). "Hard Bargain Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  5. ↑ Grundy, Gareth (April 24, 2011). "Emmylou Harris: Hard Bargain". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  6. ↑ Kot, Greg (April 21, 2011). "Album Review: Emmylou Harris". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  7. ↑ Leftridge, Steve (April 28, 2011). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  8. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (April 25, 2011). "Slant Magazine Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ Gill, Andy (April 22, 2011). "Album Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Yeoman, Paula (April 25, 2011). "Album Review: Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  11. ↑ Heselgrave, Douglas (April 26, 2011). "Emmylou Harris: Hard Bargain". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Emmylou Harris | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ Betts, Stephen L. (May 4, 2011). "Emmylou Harris' 'Hard Bargain' Debuts at No. 3 on Country Chart". The Boot. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  14. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (May 4, 2011). "Adele Tops Billboard Albums Chart Once Again - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Hard Bargain | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Emmylou Harris". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Charts.nz – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 1/5/2011 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 1/5/2011 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart on 1/5/2011 – Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  37. ↑ Harris, Emmylou (April 26, 2011). "Hard Bargain (Liner Notes)". Nonesuch Records. 525966-2 (CD).
  38. ↑ "Hard Bargain by Emmylou Harris". Apple Music. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
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