''Infamous Angel'' is the debut studio album of American country music singer-songwriter
Iris DeMent
Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician . DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel.
Early life
DeMent was born in Paragould, Arkansas, the 1 ...
. It was released by
Philo Records in 1992. The liner notes were written by
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
, to whom DeMent's music has been compared by ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' critic
Robert Hilburn.
In 1995, her song "Our Town" was played in the closing moments of the last episode for the
CBS TV series ''
Northern Exposure
''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...
''. It has also been recorded by
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the be ...
and by
Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin.
The
Transatlantic Sessions version of "Let the Mystery Be" became the theme song for the second season and series finale of ''
The Leftovers''.
Track listing
All songs by Iris DeMent except as indicated.
#"Let the Mystery Be" – 2:46
#"These Hills" – 3:40
#"Hotter Than Mojave in My Heart" – 2:33
#"When Love Was Young" – 3:38
#"Our Town" – 4:58
#"Fifty Miles of Elbow Room" (Rev F.W. McGee) – 3:12
#"Infamous Angel" – 3:46
#"Sweet Forgiveness" – 2:44
#"After You've Gone" – 4:04
#"Mama's Opry" – 3:25
#"Higher Ground" (listed as "Traditional" in the liner notes but in fact by Johnson Oatman, Jr. (lyrics) and
Charles H. Gabriel (music)
[Cyber Hymnal]
Higher Ground
accessed August 18, 2019) – 3:34
Personnel
*Iris DeMent – lead and harmony vocals, guitar
;Additional musicians
*
Jeff Black – harmony vocals (11)
*Flora Mae DeMent – lead vocals (11)
*
Jerry Douglas
Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer.
Career
In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he h ...
–
Dobro
Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar.
The Dobro was origin ...
(7)
*
Stuart Duncan
Stuart Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo.
Life
Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band. ...
– fiddle, mandolin
*
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...
– harmony vocals, guitar (10)
*Mark Howard – guitar
*Jeff Hushkins – bass
*
Roy Huskey, Jr. – bass
*
Hal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album '' Past the Point of ...
– harmony vocals (11)
*
Al Perkins – Dobro (1–6, 8–11)
*
Jim Rooney – producer, harmony vocals (6, 11)
*Pete Wasner – piano
;Technical
*Richard Adler – recording and mixing engineer
*Kelley McRae - cover photography
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1992 debut albums
Iris DeMent albums
Warner Records albums
Philo Records (folk) albums