Trio II (Asylum, 1999)

In 1986, three of the most beautiful voices in popular music joined forces and recorded the multi-award-winning "Trio" album. Eight years later they recorded a sequel, but its release was delayed by contractual obligations until now. It's well worth the wait.

The influences of the three women are astoundingly diverse, and they're all on display here. For example, Ronstadt sings lead on the poppish "Blue Train," and right after that, Dolly Parton sings "I Feel the Blues Movin' In," a bluegrass song from Del McCoury. But the best part of Trio has always been the harmonies. For this reason, The Carter Family's "Lover's Return" works perfectly as the album's introductory song. The magic builds from start to finish as Ronstadt first sings alone,then is joined by Parton, and finally, Harris adds her voice to the mix. In fact, the only possible criticism of this album is that some of the songs, like "Feels Like Home," focus too much on just one of Trio's three angelic voices. But that's a minor criticism of an enchanting album.