Album of the Day

After pioneering country rock with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons perfected the form on GP. Though the singer-songwriter's 1973 Reprise Records solo debut includes some covers (George Jones' “That's All It Took” among them) the album leans heavily on such outstanding originals as “She” and “The New Soft Shoe.” Great as the material is, it's the performances that really put this set over the top; Gram's vocals never sounded better, and he's surrounded by such stellar instrumentalists as guitarist James Burton, fiddler Byron Berline and co-producer Ric Grech on bass. In a class by herself is Emmylou Harris, whose harmonizing here helped launch her illustrious career. Parsons was born on this day in 1946, and we'll salute the cosmic American musician with another spin of GP.