Hard Bargain (Emmylou Harris album)

Hard Bargain
Studio album by Emmylou Harris
Released	April 26, 2011
Recorded	August 2010
Genre	Country Folk, Americana
Length	53:04
Label	Nonesuch
Producer	Jay Joyce
Emmylou Harris chronology
All I Intended to Be (2008) Hard Bargain (2011) Old Yellow Moon (2013)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(6.9/10) MC 69/100, 19 critics
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	2011
Billboard	2011
Entertainment Weekly	B+ link
guardian.co.uk	link
Los Angeles Times	link
PopMatters.com	link
Slant Magazine	2011
The Independent	link
New Zealand Herald	link
Paste Magazine	link
Country Weekly	link
The Press (York)	link

Hard Bargain is the twenty-sixth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, released on April 26, 2011, ^[1] 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, ^[2] 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, ^[3] 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. ^[4] 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.

Track listing

All tracks written by Emmylou Harris, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(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 Jennings	3:55
5.	"New Orleans"	Harris, Jennings	3:38
6.	"Big Black Dog"		3:26
7.	"Lonely Girl"		4:44
8.	"Hard Bargain"	Ron Sexsmith	3:23
9.	"Six White Cadillacs"	Harris, Jennings	3:22
10.	"The Ship on His Arm"		4:46
11.	"Darlin' Kate"		3:08
12.	"Nobody"		5:04
13.	"Cross Yourself"	Jay Joyce	3:36

iTunes/digital bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"To Ohio" (with The Low Anthem)	Ben Knox Miller, Jeffrey Prystowsky	3:27

Deluxe edition with bonus DVD

No.	Title	Length
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 (2011)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	48 [5]
Australian Country Albums Chart	2
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	39
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	95
Canadian Albums Chart	20
Danish Albums Chart	27
Canadian Country Albums Chart	2
Dutch Albums Chart	15
German Albums Chart	49
Irish Individual Artist Albums	36
New Zealand Albums Chart	28
Norwegian Albums Chart	11
Swedish Albums Chart	15
Swiss Albums Chart	76
UK Albums Chart	30
UK Country Albums Chart	2
US Billboard 200	18
US Billboard Top Country Albums	3
US Billboard Folk Albums	3
US Billboard Rock Albums	6

Release history

Release history and formats for Hard Bargain

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	April 26, 2011	CD music download	Nonesuch Records	[6] [7]

References

1. "Emmylou Harris | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
2. Betts, Stephen L. (2011-05-04). "Emmylou Harris' 'Hard Bargain' Debuts at No. 3 on Country Chart". The Boot. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
3. Kaufman, Gil (2011-05-04). "Adele Tops Billboard Albums Chart Once Again - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
4. "Hard Bargain | Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
5. "Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Recording Industry Association". ARIA . Retrieved 2011-05-15.
6. Harris, Emmylou (April 26, 2011). "Hard Bargain (Liner Notes)". Nonesuch Records . 525966-2 (CD).
7. "Hard Bargain by Emmylou Harris". Apple Music . Retrieved 22 July 2023.