Emmylou Harris Releases First Solo CD in Five Years

It's been five years since Emmylou Harris put out a new studio album. As VOA's Mary Morningstar tells us, the 61-year-old Country-folk singer had to work around many other projects to finish her latest collection, "All I Intended To Be."

Emmylou Harris recorded several cover songs for her new album, All I Intended To Be. They include "All That You Have Is Your Soul," which Tracy Chapman wrote for her 1989 Crossroads album. Emmylou also added songs written by Merle Haggard, Billy Joe Shaver and Patty Griffin, among others.

Harris says, "Most of my career I've been a finder of songs, a gatherer of songs, so this showcases, in part, that side of what I do." But, she also contributed six original songs to the project. One is "Gold," which features Dolly Parton and Vince Gill on harmony vocals.

"Gold" is a song Emmylou wrote more than a decade ago. She says she wanted to include it on her 1995 Grammy-winning album "Wrecking Ball," but it seemed too Country-influenced for the folk collection.

Emmylou began working on All I Intended To Be four years ago. She recorded most of the tracks at the Nashville studio of producer Brian Ahern. Brian is Emmylou's ex-husband, who produced many of her early albums.

During the five years away from her own career, Harris recorded an album with former Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler and performed tours with Elvis Costello and Neil Young.