EMMYLOU HARRIS’ HARD BARGAIN DEBUTS IN BILLBOARD 200’S TOP 20

13-TRACK ALBUM INCLUDES 11 NEW ORIGINAL SONGS;
OUT NOW ON NONESUCH RECORDS

“There are legendary country singers, and then there’s Emmylou: a breathtaking pinnacle of poise and elegance, and an artist who continues to innovate with every new release.” —Time Out New York

Hard Bargain, the new album from musical icon Emmylou Harris out now on Nonesuch Records, was released April 26 and debuted in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. In addition to this commercial success, the album continues to receive critical acclaim—the Associated Press heralds, “gorgeous…her silvery soprano is in fine form,” while USA Today calls it, “exquisite…her unmistakable soprano, at once grainy and ethereal, still wraps itself around a lyric with an angel’s delicate warmth.”

Hard Bargain, which comprises 11 new songs by Harris as well as two covers, was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Patty Griffin). A deluxe edition of the album, which includes a DVD featuring six performances interspersed with interviews, is also currently available. A collaboration with labelmates The Low Anthem on their song “To Ohio” is available as a digital bonus track when the album is purchased from Amazon.com or iTunes.

“We made this record in about a month, which is quite unusual for me. But I had all the material beforehand. I’d written 11 of the 13 songs and I really wanted to include two more by other writers,” Harris explains. “One of the covers is Ron Sexsmith’s ‘Hard Bargain’ which I absolutely love. The other is by Jay Joyce, called ‘Cross Yourself.’

Two of the album’s songs look back at relationships that were central to Harris’ creative life. She wrote “Darlin’ Kate” for her close friend and collaborator Kate McGarrigle, who died last year of a rare form of cancer, while “The Road” casts its eye further back to the formative time Harris spent with country/rock icon Gram Parsons at the beginning of her career.

“We did the whole thing with just three musicians, me being one of them. Jay, the producer, and Giles Reeves play everything between them. It’s not a stripped down record though; there’s only one song that’s a little bare bones. I’m basically a slow ballad-y person, but Jay managed to really move the songs up a bit. But they still have the same emotional feel.”

A 12-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

HARD BARGAIN TRACKLIST
1. The Road
2. Home Sweet Home
3. My Name Is Emmett Till
4. Goodnight Old World
5. New Orleans
6. Big Black Dog
7. Lonely Girl
8. Hard Bargain
9. Six White Cadillacs
10. The Ship on His Arm
11. Darlin’ Kate
12. Nobody
13. Cross Yourself

For more information, please contact Mary Moyer, Asha Goodman or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.