This is a great CD. I haven't bought one of Emmy Lou's albums in quite some time, but this one is vintage Emmy Lou. (Sorry, Emmy Lou! The music is vintage, not you!)
If you have an ipod or any MP3 player, ALL I INTENDED TO BE is the second Emmylou Harris cd you should have! the first being THE VERY BEST OF EMMYLOU HARRIS!
If you listened to the samples without headphones, go back and listen again with headphones!!!
And for all you duds, and you dudetts, if your thinking of just buying downloads, it is worth buying the whole cd just to get the picture of Emmylou that's on the back cover!!!
[+]
10.0
If It's Emmylou, It's great or so close to great that there isn't a word for it
If you don't know Emmylou Harris at all, buy anything she's ever done. The worst that you'll get is really good. This album is lovely, if low-key and sad. There is a strain of American music - the only authentic strain aside from Afro-American - embodied in country, folk and some rock based on the former two that is heart-piercing, but absolutely lovely. And Emmylou Harris - who defies labels - does it best of all (though her version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" - elsewhere - rocks with a kind of tough cynicism that the Broadway showtune never had.) I've seen her up close in a small concert and she is the very epitome of grace, modesty and beauty. I've been playing this disk for months in my waiting room, and client after client has been struck and asked me about it and her (and Juanes too, but that's another story.)
[+]
10.0
She still shines
I love it. It's more relaxing than others, so if you want rock and roll this is not for you.
[+]
10.0
She Just Gets Better!
This really enjoyable collection of music has something for everyone. Emmylou sounds great and her backup harmonies are well suited.
[+]
10.0
Still one of the best
Emmylou is still one of the best. I listen to these songs over and over again. For a fan of Harris you will not be disappointed.
[+]
10.0
Emmy lou Harris "All I intended to be"
This record is so beautiful- excellent! She is unequaled-I am listening to this recording every day, many times. I intend to give some for Xmas gifts.
[+]
8.0
All I Intended to Be/Emmylou Harris
This is a geat albumn. Does tend to be on the sad side as far as song content. Emmylou does a wonderful rendition of Merle Haggard's Kern River. Overall, I am enjoying the music and, as always, Emmylou's voice reaches to my soul.
KMccall
[+]
8.0
Minor keys, haunting melodies --
Not everything I may I have wished for but very close. Well chosen songs, Ms. Harris' inimitable voice and a production that only occasionally detracts from both. Not the summation of a marvelous career but a stepping stone in that direction.
[+]
8.0
3.5 Stars... Emmylou looks back, and then moves forward
I've always had a great admiration for Emmylou Harris as an artist but I couldn't really call myself a true fan of hers, that is until the release of her 1995 album "Wrecking Ball" in which she transcends the previous limits of country music into something new altogether. I've loved every one of her albums since then, and it's been a long five years since her previous studio album "Stumble Unto Grace".
"All I Intend To Be" (13 tracks; 56 min.) came as somewhat of a surprise to me, as Emmylou reaches back into more of her traditional country roots than she has done in the last 15 years. This becomes somewhat apparent on the opener "Shores of White Sand", even more so on "Moon Song", and the most of all on songs like "Old Five and Dimers Like Me' and ""Kern River", which are not for me,but that's just my personal taste. There are 2 songs co-written and featuring Kate and Ann McGarrigle that are quite enjoyable. Emmylou Harris brings another 4 songs written by her, and they are mostly tremendous. Apart from the music, Emmylou's voice remains as warm and as rich, and in fact seems to be getting better still.
Hard to believe that Emmylou turned 61 this year. While I have to admit that "All I Intend To Be' is not my favorite Emmylou Harris album, this is a nice album nevertheless. If Emmylou tours anywhere close to Cincinnati behind this album, you can bet I will be there. I've seen her a number of times of the years, and she is outstanding live.
Emmylou sounds like she is experiencing life that has past and looking ahead toward her future. Only her future is not of this world. The things that used to be important, such as children, love, and possessions are no longer needed. The only thing she needs now is her soul. And this lady will never lose that! Great album for the old souls among us...
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10.0
Beautiful sounds....
There aren't a lot of pieces of music that give you a sense of release but at the same time capture and hold your soul till they're done. Pieces like "How she could sing the wildwood flower" and "sailing round the room" are of that rare kind, they take you away. This cd is priceless.
product never arrived. seller never responded to email. amazon won't support guarantee. only gave 1 star because i couldn't give no stars.
[+]
10.0
ANOTHER GREAT ALBUM BY EMMYLOU HARRIS!
Another lovely album by Ms. Harris! The title song is haunting, and the songs contemplative; Ms. Harris at her best! Highly recommended!
[+]
10.0
I love this album!
This is the first time in my entire life (and I'm pretty old) I've purchased an album and liked every song! Highly recommend this album.
Emmylou Harris' new CD is a lovely folk set. Four of the tracks have caught my ear at this point. "All That You Have Is Your Soul" is a Tracy Chapman song that Harris remakes with great result, "Hunger only for a taste of justice; Hunger only for a word of truth 'cause all that you have is your soul." For me, the album is backloaded with my very favorites coming right at the end. "Not Enough" is an Emmylou penned tune about loss, "I still have your memory, one or two pictures of you & me, Life is long & life is tough, but when you love someone, life's not long enough." What wisdom! "Sailing Round the Room" was written by Emmylou with Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Its lovely melody shines with the McGarrigles' backup vocals, "From the tall pines of Carolina all the way to the wall of China." The set ends with the lovely harmonies of Mike Auldridge & John Starling on "Beyond the Great Divide." "All I Intended to Be" is a quiet set that is like deep waters. Enjoy!
[+]
10.0
hunger only for a world of truth
Once again I feel compelled to comment on Emmylou's music. When I first saw this disk I read various reviews here whining that this album is a "downer" and the like. I smiled to myself and bought it without a second thought. I would have bought it no matter what the reviews said. Yes, Emmylou sings about pain, but she also sings about redemption and perseverance, the dawn that follows the darkness. Anyway, what price do you put on music that brings tears to your eyes?
But I am writing just to comment on one track from this disk. "All That You Have Is Your Soul", a song that did not grab me when I heard the author's version two decades ago, is rescued here and made Emmylou's own. The song includes the lines: "hunger only for a taste of justice, hunger only for a world of truth." The depth of longing in the "hunger only", the slight hush of reverence in "justice" and "truth". Those lines, at this time, in that voice... Whatever I might think of the tracks on this album, and my opinion varies, those few seconds are worth the price of the album to me, and I would not be without it.
[+]
6.0
Middle of the Road
At least I can say it's not a bad album, but I'm not going so far to say it is a great disk either. It's no 'Wrecking Ball' or 'Red Dirt Girl'. Heck, it's not even a 'Cowgirl's Prayer'.
It seems when it was released a few months back, every reviewer heaped nothing but praise on it. That's hard to live up to. And in my opinion, it doesn't.
As expected, there is nothing wrong with Harris' voice - it is still crystalline and unique as always. And though it was recorded over a three year stretch with her ex-husband as producer, it still has decent flow and consistency. A little too much consistency, where to a point there seems to be little deviation in the song style.
Maybe it's the material. But whatever it is, it is just not firing on all cylinders for me.
That's not to say it is bad - as I said earlier. It's fine, but it doesn't have too many stand-outs and that is usually what I love about Emmylou - she has plenty of them. But compared to anything else out there, it's a very good disk, but compared to some of her other works, it is just very middle of the road.
As usual, I just purchased her without listening to it, as you usually get a quality disk. Technically it is - I was just expecting so much more.
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8.0
It's A New Emmylou Harris Album ! Any Questions?
I loved this CD.
As if there was any chance that I would not.
The reason that I gave it 4 stars
is because I am comparing it to her
other collections of songs released
over the decades, on the EH scale
if you will. Very few, if any, other
folk musicians can even qualify to
be rated on the EH scale.
I wasn't expecting a sort of return
to somewhat traditional Americanish
folk music,
but I'm not disappointed because
she is particularly good at that
whatever-you-call-it type music.
What am I saying ?!!! She's the best.
The truth is, after all this time,
one might as well call it
Emmylou Harris music. She owns it.
You will hear and like a number of songs
written by Harris Maximus herself
and other great song writers.
And, as usual, she is accompanied
by the best of the best of musicians.
The cardboard packaging is pretty lame.
It's a new Emmylou Harris album!!!
Get it and listen to it alot!!!
[+]
10.0
Another Great Album From An All-Time Great!!!
This is an album that will haunt you long after you have listened to it. Each song is heart-breaking & beautifully sung. My favorites on this album are "Gold", "Moon Song", & "Take That Ride". If you have dealt with pain in your life, this is a must-buy.
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10.0
Absolutely Brilliant
Emmylou never fails to deliver and on "All I Intended To Be", she continues to use that magic voice, beautiful melodies and a heart-crippling "All That You Have Is Your Soul".
I would suggest buying this album if you are a long-time fan....see the change Emmylou has made from the 70's until now, she is truly a rare gem.
[+]
10.0
Another wonderful collection!
I absolutely love this cd... it was worth the wait. Personally think it's her best since Wrecking Ball, but then again I love everything she does. If you love Emmylou you must add this to your collection.
[+]
10.0
Unashamed unadulterated roots music
Emmylou Harris may be so good, she is at her penultimate for most of her career. I admit, I enjoy her soulful voice and spare orchestrations so much that I really cannot claim to have a favorite CD from her releases.
This 2008 release was produced by her former husband, Bruce Ahern. You'll hear old friends on this CD, including Dolly Parton (backup on "Gold") and Buddy Miller. The 'songfinder' has snagged some great music, too, from the likes of Tracy Chapman and Kate McGarrigle.
"Broken Man's Lament" talks about not messing with someone else's dreams. When the subject married a bar singer, he asked her not to sing.
"Gold" talks about the human failings in all of us:
"no matter how bright I glitter, baby, I can never be gold"
Probably my favorite song of this collection is "All that you have is your soul" by Tracy Chapman. This song contains some of the best life advice you can get.
In this case, I think a lot of this CD was gold as soon as it was released.
Rebecca Kyle, August 2008
[+]
10.0
Emmylou at her best, as usual
It sure is good to have another album by Emmylou Harris, and this one shows the depth of experience. We're enjoying it!
This album is gorgeous. Emmylou's voice is one-of-a-kind and gives me chills. Her cover of "All That You Have is Your Soul" is my favorite song of the year so far. "Broken Man' Lament" is similarly wonderful. Give this CD a chance and let Emmylou take you away!
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10.0
Progressive Traditional
When I first heard this CD, I wasn't ready for it. I put it away. But as a 20 year fan of Emmylou Harris -- knowing what she is capable of -- I couldn't just ignore it, and eventually I started playing it again. Now, I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM. On this CD she has returned to her musical roots and the tradition that has founted her songwriting, but in her own unique way. This isn't some backward-looking album; there is a subtle nuancing of the traditional country sound, here. I can hear echoes of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" but also "Red Dirt Girl." _A beautiful sadness pervades the music; a connecting of themes--esp. loss of love and an awareness of mortality looming. This CD is truly an "album," too, as it's not just an amorphous grouping of random songs. Finally, I would say, her songwriting continues to evolve, as on "How she could sing the wildwood flower." If you know the original song ("Wildwood Flower"), you will hear how she is playing with the melancholy of that song in her own lyric's story. An EXCELLENT album! All I can say is, "Immerse yourself in it!"
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4.0
Ho Hum.............
I was surprisingly disappointed in this uninteresting display of a person whom I believe to be a great talent. Rather than an extension of her style, it is simply uninteresting in both its presentation and its arrangements.
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8.0
She continues to amaze me
I just bought this recently, but I am really enjoying it. Her voice sounds as wonderful as ever to me.
Finally my favorite singer Emmylou Harris has come out with a new album. Her voice is as pure as ever and the songs she wrote herself are the best.
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10.0
Emmylou at her best!!!
This long-awaited CD is the good, old style that we Emmylou fans have been missing from her. I am totally lovin' playing this!
Thanks for the great music!
Midge Z---Boca Raton,Fl
[+]
10.0
Wonderful new CD from a favorite country artist.
I recently attended an Emmylou Harris concert. She sang several tracks from this album. I liked them so much I immediately ordered this CD, and am very pleased that I did so. Emmylou's voice is as wonderful as ever. The entire CD is great, but I especially enjoyed "Sailing Round the Room."
[+]
10.0
enjoyable to listen to
I recently bought this CD and have enjoyed listening to it. I love the harmonies! Emmylou Harris has such a great voice and I don't get tired of listening to her.
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10.0
All I intended To Be
This is Emmylou at her best. I am a great fan and I may be a little biased but I think she just gets better with each new album. This album reminds me of some of her early stuff and was glad to see some of the peaple on the album with her, especially "Billy Joe Shaver". They had a great "duet". I would recommend this album to any "country music" fan.
[+]
10.0
Emmylou Harris -"All I Intended to Be"
A quite superb album from a brilliant artist. Hard to believe Emmylou is still turning out such brilliant music after all these years. Thoroughly recommendrd! Pat Cooney, Dublin, Ireland.
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10.0
Yet Another Set Of Gems
As one of many in love with her from way back, this may be biased. :') Emmylou continues to amaze. Her rendition of Patty Griffin's 'Moon Song' is almost painfully beautiful, for one. Subtle genius at work here.
[+]
10.0
Emmylou Harris: All I Intended To Be-a review
This is the most recent album from an icon of Country Music: Emmylou Harris. Over more than four decades Emmylou's elegant soprano voice retains a crystal clarity rarely heard in my experience. Many of the songs in this album are written by Harris and she has selected her accompanying vocalists with great care. The result is superb; each song seems to portray a unique message and appeal. I own 16 albums of her music and this is as enjoyable as any. I give this latest contribution as high a rating as allowed: 5 stars. You will not be disappointed. The title song says what she wanted to say: this is "All I Intended to Be" when I began my career in the 1960s.
I absolutely love Emmylou's new cd has a new spin on her works and a great new sound for her. A refreshing new album. She is one of the Greats
I am not the biggest country fan in the world but I love Emmylou Harris. She has a masterful voice and I have purchased several of her albums. This one is very beautiful! I especially loved her cover of Tracy Chapman's song, All That You Have is Your Soul. I hadn't heard that song in a long time and was very impressed with Emmylou's version.
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10.0
Emmy Lou At Her Best
Emmy Lou Harris' latest recording is a classic in the making. Her songs are poignant and beautiful. She captures the realities of life and inspires hope. A great artist!
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10.0
As good as ever -- timeless talent
I have been an Emmylou fan since Pieces of the Sky, and she's probably my favorite performer. This collection of songs does not disappoint! It showcases her talent as a songwriter (she wrote half of the material) and features some of her old friends -- Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, the McGarrigles. I've listened to this CD several times, and it's really hard to pick a favorite song, but I am especially taken with Sailing Around the Room and Not Enough.
If you're a fan, do not miss this collection of songs! Emmylou's talent is timeless and you will definitely find some beautiful and thought-provoking songs here.
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10.0
Best in a long time
This hasn't left my CD player in weeks. It's the best thing she's done in years, possibly ever.
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8.0
sometimes you have to cry
This is a very short review. I wanted to make a comment regarding those people who find the sad, soulful music in the album to be a "downer" and speak of winding down and such. I've been cheated on and divorced more than once, I've broken so many bones in my back I am in constant pain. My son went through a windshield and is in a coma these last 8 years. My father died, perhaps by overdosing on the morphine they gave him for the pain in his gut and now my mother is slowly dying. In the pit of despair, real pain, and real sorrow, the soft clear voice of Emmylou Harris telling of life, death and other people's pain has smoothed my brow and calmed my sinking heart. You don't always need or want a ho-down or a driving bass. Sometimes you really need to sit down and listen to great beauty lifting you away from your pain. That's all.
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10.0
Emmylou is Awesome!
Emmylou Harris can do no wrong! All she needs to do is open her mouth and something beautiful is bound to be heard.
I am entirely grateful to finally find a relaxing modern album. Thank you for this introspective and sublime music--let this set a precedent for a decaying recording industry that focuses too much on image and not enough on quality or substance in art. Art should touch human beings a on much deeper, often inexplicable, yet understood level.
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10.0
Love that Emmylou !
I have been an Emmylou fan since the beginning, and I always buy her albums. This one is amazingly gorgeous. Usually, you get one or two uptempo footstompin' numbers, but all of these are slow beautiful dirges. This is the perfect rainy day album. The woman has exquisite taste in picking (or creating) her material. The original songs are lovely, but a couple of the classics (one by Tracey Chapman, Merle Haggard's "Kern River") almost, dare I say it?, surpass the originals. I have played the Kern River one the most and wish it had been part of the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack. I don't think I've ever heard anything as heart-breaking as this song the way she does it. And who else can harmonize with herself so angelically? If one Emmylou is sublime, what can you say about three or four of them gloriously combined? This CD is a must for anyone who likes the artistry of the classic achingly-pure Emmylou.
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8.0
Songs For The Front Porch
I have never been much of a country music fan, but Emmylou's sound has always resonated with me. Having just seen her at an outdoor concert outside Chicago, I can tell you that Emmylou is all heart and soul. She transcends genres (I guess that's why they call her "alternative" country?) and makes you feel like you are sitting on the front porch with her as she tells stories and plays the guitar. While I love her voice and message, the songs on this album sound a little too much alike. I would have liked more variety as the ballads sounded very similar. But they were all gorgeous, especially the one with Dolly. Buy this one for when you have a bad day and you need someone to understand--Emmylou will!
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10.0
An elegant, understated convergence of her later style with her ealier influences
Emmylou Harris does not rest on her laurels. Since the release of 'Wrecking Ball' in 1995, she has been redefining what we expect of her, both as a composer and singer. All I Intended To Be, continues that process, subtly and beautifully. At first blush, it feels like a return to her more traditional earlier style, but on closer listening it incorporates, albeit less overtly, many of the elements that Daniel Lanois introduced into Harris' sound with Wrecking Ball, and which she continued with Red Dirt Girl and Stumble into Grace.
The album includes songs penned by Harris, Merle Haggard, Patty Griffin, Tracy Chapman, and collaborative efforts with Harris and Kate & Anna McGarrigle. The song choice and sequencing is perfect. Sailing Round the Room is a standout: cowritten (and performed) with the McGarrigles, it is song about dying that manages to be wistful without being mawkish, life affirming but without any of the cheesiness that such a description can conjure. Patty Griffin's Moon Song showcases everything that is great about Harris' singing - beautiful phrasing, great strength with that fragile break that she always deploys in service of the story and never for cheap effect. Really, there's not a weak track on the album.
Brian Ahern produces here, to very good effect. He clearly understands the changes she has made since their earlier collaborations; he works with these changes rather than dragging her back to an earlier sound.
Emmylou Harris made a wise choice back in 1995 when she took herself off in a new direction musically. Instead of trying to please a label that had stopped supporting her, she found one - Nonesuch - that has clearly given her the freedom to create her own sound. All I Intended To Be is the work of a mature artist creating her own kind of contemporary American music - with country elements and folk elements, but with something else hard to define which makes both of those labels seem inadequate.
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10.0
Emmy just keeps getting better
This record is absolutely beautiful! Not a bad track here. The saddest song is Not Enough, and my very favorite. Emmy wrote that one of course. I get chills everytime I hear her sing! No one on this planet can sing like her. Her voice is a gift from GOD! It sounds just like an angel. Not Enough has to be written for Gram Parsons. She has never been able to let go of the love she had for him. It is to bad that she never had the chance to tell him. She makes you want to run and tell that person exactly how you feel. Life is to short! Go run out and buy this CD. If you are a fan like I am, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY AT ALL. It is about time. I have waited 5 years for this record. Well worth the wait!!!
[+]
10.0
A Spiritual and Emotional Journey Worth Traveling
I've been an Emmylou Harris fan for almost three decades. While I enjoy the majority of her music, I've always gravitated toward her ballads. The lyrics and music of the ballads she has recorded across the years -- and most importantly, that yearning voice that instills them with the pathos of the human experience -- have always spoken to me. Therefore, this new album, filled with songs of regret and heartache (and hope--Sailing Round the Room, with it's sweet lyrics regarding existence beyond death, is really too beautiful to even describe), is a keeper in my collection and I have a feeling that it will become my favorite Emmylou album overall.
I cannot imagine any other voice that could draw the listener into the emotions embedded in the lyrics as effectively as Emmylou's. This is a mature album for a mature listener who has experienced the sadness and regret that instill the human experience and that eventually make or break us. To me, the songs on the album are forms of redemption, turning the bitter heartaches of life into beautiful music that speaks to fellow travelers along the way.
This music is neither bland nor boring. It is reflective, testamental, a tribute to Emmylou's attitude that one should make music for the sake of making music rather than seeking to please every listening audience. It won't be to everyone's liking, nor should it be. But for those who find Emmylou to be one of the finest balladeers of all time it will be love at first hearing. All in all, if I could give this album more than 5 stars, I would.
Well, I've always loved Emmylou. Seen her several times live.
But this new one is just a bore. All ballads, all sounding the same. Many of the lyrics even have a certain sameness to them. I guess they're supposed to be "poetic." The band arrangements are nothing but wallpaper. The Merle Haggard song sounds just like the Tracy Chapman song. Emmylou's own compositions are lackluster. Yawn! She even manages to drain all the honky tonk out of "Old Five and Dimers Like me."
I wish Emmylou would return to the variety and pep that were always in evidence on her classic albums. But it seems those days are gone.
