Includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band: Emmylou Harris (vocals, acoustic guitar); Albert Lee (guitar, mandolin); James Burton, Rodney Crowell (guitar); Hank DeVito (pedal steel guitar); Ricky Skaggs (fiddle, background vocals); Glen D. Hardin, Tony Brown (piano); Emory Gordy, Mike Bowden (bass); John Ware (drums).

Additional personnel: Tanya Tucker, Sharon Hicks, Cheryl Warren, Don Everly, Glenn Campbell (vocals); Brian Ahern (guitar, banjo); Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Lincoln Davis, Jr. (accordion); Bill Payne (piano); Duke Bardwell (bass); Ronnie Tutt (drums); Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt (background vocals).

Recorded at the Enactron Truck, Beverly Hills, California. Originally released on Warner Bros. (3318).

Emmylou Harris' albums of the '70s all follow a well-defined game plan. First, she selects a stellar repertoire of classic country songs, new material from neo-traditionalists like Rodney Crowell, and one rock oldie (this time it's the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me," which Harris took into country music's top-five). She then surrounds herself with Nashville's finest players-such as guitarists James Burton and Albert Lee, fiddler/mandolinist/singer extraordinaire Ricky Skaggs, and pedal-steel wizard Hank DeVito. Finally, Harris pours her heart and soul into every vocal performance. The resulting albums, of which BLUE KENTUCKY GIRL was the fifth, defined the state-of-the-art for serious country enthusiasts of the era.

By the time BLUE KENTUCKY GIRL was recorded, Harris' already impressive taste in material had reached near perfection. Particularly inspired choices here include the George Jones rarity "Beneath Still Waters," the Louvin Brothers' "Every Time You Leave," and Jean Ritchie's gorgeous "Sorrow in the Wind." Among the more obvious-but equally fine-choices are the Hank Williams Sr. hit "They'll Never Take His Love from Me," Gram Parsons' "Hickory Wind," and Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," the last featuring Dolly Parton and Linda Rondstadt on harmony vocals.

Entertainment Weekly (2/27/04, p.99) - "[Harris] drew on [Gram Parsons's] earthy country eclecticism and blossomed." - Rating: A-

Q (4/04, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]his is where Harris started a journey that has begat a canon..."

Uncut (4/04, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[H]er first pure country record..."