‘Western Wall’ Lacks Magic

Sun., Sept. 19, 1999

Dan Deluca The Philadelphia Inq

Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris “Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions” (Asylum) ***

Earlier this year, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris reconvened with Dolly Parton for Trio II, a disappointing sequel to their magical 1987 “Trio.” Without Parton, the not-quite-so-country “Western Wall” regains a measure of the original Trio’s effortless grace.

Glyn Johns’ production is, for the most part, smartly unobtrusive, and the song selection is sharp: Patty Griffin’s “Falling Down,” Sinead O’Connor’s “This Is to Mother You,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Across the Border” (with Neil Young on harmonica), plus contributions from Leonard Cohen, Rosanne Cash and Paul Kennerley.

As a writer, Harris bats .500: “Raise the Dead” suffers from an overreaching, forced solemnity, but “Sweet Spot,” written with Luscious Jackson’s Jill Cunniff, hits its mark. Harris’ vocals are as angelic as ever, but Ronstadt hasn’t stood the test of time quite as well, and she sounds lost belting out Jackson Browne’s “For a Dancer” without Harris’ support.

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