Spyboy
Most pop musicians in their 50s spend their stage time  reflecting on past accomplishments. Emmylou Harris, on the other hand,  is still moving forward, seeking new challenges and pushing into new  musical territory. Always artistically restless, Harris has offered  nearly a quarter century of interesting ideas. However, at age 51,  she's creating some of the most lasting and moving music of her life.  Fronting a band featuring the New Orleans rhythm section of drummer  Brady Blade and bassist Darryl Johnson, and with alternative-country  hero Buddy Miller on guitar, Harris presents daring music that is both  dark in tone yet spiritually open-hearted. In doing so, she's managed  to combine the progressive, provocative tension of 1996'sWrecking Ballwith the  tradition-based music of her earlier work.--Michael McCall