Thirteen (Emmylou Harris album)

Thirteen
Studio album by Emmylou Harris
Released	February 1986
Recorded	November 1985
Genre	Country
Length	32:12
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer	Emmylou Harris, Paul Kennerley
Emmylou Harris chronology
The Ballad of Sally Rose (1985) Thirteen (1986) Trio (1987)

Thirteen is an album by the American musician Emmylou Harris, released in 1986.^[1][2] The title came from its status as her thirteenth studio album (if one does not count her 1969 first album, released on an independent label, which Harris herself rarely acknowledges).

The album was co-produced by Harris and her then-husband, Paul Kennerley.^[3] It became available as a CD in 2013 in a compilation issued by the Rhino Entertainment Company called Emmylou Harris Original Album Series Vol.2.

Two singles from the album were released and charted on the Hot Country Singles chart, with "If I Had My Heart Set on You" peaking at No. 60 and "Today I Started Loving You Again" peaking at No. 43. The latter was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

The Los Angeles Times deemed Thirteen Harris's "most thoroughly satisfying studio album since 1979's Blue Kentucky Girl."^[5] The Orlando Sentinel wrote that Harris "always has been real country, in the bluegrass-mountain music branch—what she does better than any major artist is to add a measure of present to the past."^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mystery Train"	Sam Phillips, Herman "Junior" Parker	2:35
2.	"You're Free to Go"	Don Robertson, Lou Herscher	2:48
3.	"Sweetheart of the Pines"	Emmylou Harris, Paul Kennerley	3:22
4.	"Just Someone I Used to Know" (duet w/ John Anderson)	Jack Clement	2:57
5.	"My Father's House"	Bruce Springsteen	4:48
6.	"Lacassine Special"	Iry LeJeune	2:58
7.	"Today I Started Loving You Again"	Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens	3:22
8.	"When I Was Yours"	Harris, Kennerley	2:48
9.	"I Had My Heart Set on You"	Rodney Crowell, Kennerley	3:09
10.	"Your Long Journey"	Doc Watson, Rosa Lee Watson	3:44

Personnel

• Mike Bowden - bass
• Steve Cash - harmonica
• Rodney Crowell - backing vocals
• Steve Fishell - steel guitar, slide guitar, resonator guitar
• Vince Gill - backing vocals
• Carl Jackson - mandolin, fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Don Johnson - keyboards
• Shane Keister - synthesizer
• Mary Ann Kennedy - backing vocals
• Paul Kennerley - acoustic guitar
• Mark O'Connor - fiddle
• Frank Reckard - mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• Pam Rose - backing vocals
• Buddy Spicher - fiddle
• Barry Tashian - backing vocals, accordion
• Steve Turner - drums, percussion
• Paul Worley - acoustic guitar
• Emmylou Harris - vocals, acoustic guitar

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7]	9
US Billboard 200[8]	157

Release history

Release history and formats for Thirteen

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	February 1986	LP CD cassette	Warner Bros. Records	[9]

References

1. Brogan, Daniel (21 Feb 1986). "Emmylou Harris, Thirteen". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 73.
2. Morse, Steve (27 Apr 1986). "Country Music Is Heading Back to the Hills". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 57.
3. Beyer, Susan (28 Feb 1986). "Emmylou Harris finally sounds like voice of experience on super album". Ottawa Citizen. p. D8.
4. "Thirteen Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
5. Lewis, Randy (16 Mar 1986). "Country Cousins". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 65.
6. Johnson, Dean (30 Mar 1986). "Emmylou Harris". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 5.
7. "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
8. "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
9. Harris, Emmylou (February 1986). "Thirteen (Liner Notes)". Warner Bros. Records. 9-25351-1 (LP); 9-25351 (CD); W1-25351-4 (Cassette).