That Cimarron, Emmylou Harris' ninth regular album, was assembled largely
from recording sessions held for her previous couple of records is no
necessary reflection on its quality. In fact, Cimarron was a typical effort
for Harris, presenting her usual mix of country favorites, songs borrowed
from the pop/rock arena, and singer/songwriter discoveries. Most prominent
among the last category was Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You,"
released as a single three months ahead of the LP. From the pop mainstream,
Harris borrowed Poco's "Rose of Cimarron" and Bruce Springsteen's
"The Price You Pay." The recent T.G. Sheppard country number
one hit "The Last Cheater's Waltz" and "Tennessee Waltz,"
best remembered for Patti Page's pop hit, were given respectful readings.
And there was a lovely arrangement of the traditional ballad "Spanish
Is a Loving Tongue." But the most memorable songs on the album were
its two other country Top Tens, Karen Brooks and Hank DeVito's "Tennessee
Rose" and Paul Kennerley's "Born to Run." On the whole,
the album maintained the high standard Harris had set with her previous
releases, and it deserved its 1982 Grammy nomination for Best Country
Vocal Performance, Female. Though it matched the success of recent Harris
LPs on the country charts, hitting the Top Ten and remaining listed for
more than nine months, it did not enjoy as great a pop crossover sale
and became Harris' first regular album since her 1975 breakthrough not
to go gold. This was more indicative of the overall decline in country's
crossover success than of any deficiency of the album itself; nevertheless,
Harris' commercial success had crested.
(by William Ruhlmann , AMG) |