CMT Blog: Archive

The Desert Rose Band returned to Nashville for the first time in 20 years last night (Aug. 9), arriving to a full Belcourt Theatre -- and eager fans like Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley at their side. Lead singer Chris Hillman told the crowd that the band decided to reunite for the music's sake, with no intentions of making another record, so there was no new, unfamiliar material to politely sit through. Instead, the dynamic band capably and cheerfully rolled through their country hits from the late 1980s, like the fully-charged "Ashes of Love" (with Paisley taking a verse), "Love Reunited," "One Step Forward," "He's Back and I'm Blue," "Summer Wind" and "I Still Believe in You." As soon as they kicked off the first song, "She Don't Love Nobody," I just couldn't quit smiling. They've still got that cool California vibe, yet with an obvious affinity for traditional country music.

Even though my seats didn't allow me to see steel guitarist Jay Dee Maness, his stylish playing wove throughout all the songs. But I was just a few feet away from Herb Pedersen, whose high harmony is still an essential component of their easygoing sound. It's incredibly refreshing to hear a country band that relies so much on the musicianship, rather than just building themselves around a promising lead singer.

Harris told the crowd that Hillman discovered her performing in a singles bar in 1971 and brought her to Gram Parsons' attention when Parsons was looking for a female harmony singer. Without that chance encounter, she noted that she might have never had a career in music. Indeed, a lot of gratitude was spread across the evening, with all the band members praising each other's talent and glowing whenever somebody served up a tasty lick. With John Jorgenson on guitar, there were plenty of those. When Paisley is stepping back and admiring your dexterity, you know you're on the right track.

I can't really pick a highlight from the night, but as I write this, I'm listening to their Greatest Hits album and still grinning from ear to ear. They're playing the Grand Ole Opry tonight (Aug. 10), and here's hoping it doesn't take two decades for them to get back to Nashville next time.

Photo credit: Brian Tipton