Music: Sounds of Surprise

By JAY COCKS

True confessions from the artist on this ravishing live recording: she was once bothered by an overly enthusiastic fan named Dick, to whom she dedicates her lake-clear version of John Fogerty's lovely, lonesome Lodi, and she is a major admirer of Minnie Pearl. Well, land's sake, this album is full of surprises. Fans might not expect this strong and graceful singer to fall about over the comic antics of the dingbat with the price tag dangling off her hat, but if there's one thing EMMYLOU HARRIS excels at, it's surprise. And, at the same time, consistency. And a restlessness under the conventional constraints of country music. On Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers at the Ryman (Reprise), her considerable gifts are in full flourish. She can sing a Bill Monroe classic with reverence and put over Steve Earle's nail-spitting Guitar Town with untroubled conviction. She is astute and audacious enough to follow up Stephen Foster's Hard Times with Bruce Springsteen's spooky and mournful Mansion on the Hill. Just goes to show. When Emmylou Harris gets to work on a tune, country music knows no bounds. J.C.