20 Essential Albums Every Country Music Fan Should Own

16. Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9N5MGRPV0I Key Tracks: Orphan Girl, Wrecking Ball, Every Grain of Sand The prolific Harris has one of the strongest voices in country (she's regularly drafted in to provide backing vocals on other artists' tracks) but her record is notably hit-and-miss. Her back catalogue boasts some genuine classics, some middling efforts and even a dud or two. One cannot dispute the quality of Wrecking Ball, however. Harris' eighteenth studio effort is her most assured and boasts some excellent production. She co-wrote only two songs on the record, instead offering her take on some of her idols' best. Neil Young's Wrecking Ball, Bob Dylan's Every Grain of Sand and Gillian Welch's Orphan Girl get a new lease on life. There's a lot of Emmylou Harris you could have in your LP collection but, if you only have room for one, make it this.