0216. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris
Trio
This supergroup gathered three of 1987's most popular women in music, and not due to some music mogul's dreams of raking in the cash, but as the culmination of a decade of attempts by the three mutual admirers to get together and sing their hearts out.
So they chose a lot of standards and cover versions, but Parton of course managed to squeeze in a couple of self-penned songs too and Harris' co-arranged their version of the traditional Farther Along s well as played guitar on some of the tracks. And they all sing good (you know, there's a reason they were chart-toppers).
But I really have a hard time believing songs like Hobo's Meditation, where they take on the role of a bum dreaming of the heavens. That's where they lose me as the album feels more like a trio focused on singing together than a trio focused on performing their favourite songs. And that makes all the difference.