Cowgirl's Prayer

1993 studio album by Emmylou Harris

Cowgirl's Prayer

Studio album by

Emmylou Harris

Released

September 28, 1993

Recorded

1993

Studio

Nashville

Genre

Country

Label

Asylum
Elektra

Producer

Allen Reynolds, Richard Bennett

Emmylou Harris chronology

At the Ryman
(1992)

Cowgirl's Prayer
(1993)

Wrecking Ball
(1995)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A+^[3]
Los Angeles Times	^[4]
Orlando Sentinel	^[5]
Rolling Stone	^[6]

Cowgirl's Prayer is the seventeenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on September 28, 1993, by Warner Bros. Records. Coming immediately after 1992's live acoustic At the Ryman album, Cowgirl's Prayer is a collection of similarly subdued material (with a couple of rockers thrown in, notably "High Powered Love", the album's first single). Released at a time when older artists (i.e. anyone over 40) were being dropped from country radio playlists, the album received little airplay, despite positive reviews, and its relative commercial failure is said to have served as a catalyst for Harris's decision to change course with the harder edged sound of her subsequent work, beginning with 1995's rockish Wrecking Ball, thus rendering Cowgirl's Prayer Harris's last mainstream country album.

Despite the lack of radio airplay, accompanying videos for the album's three singles, "High Powered Love", the Cajun-themed "Crescent City", and Jesse Winchester's "Thanks to You", received considerable exposure on CMT.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Ways to Go"	Lainie Marsh	3:38
2.	"The Light"	Kieran Kane, Emmylou Harris	2:29
3.	"High Powered Love"	Tony Joe White	3:08
4.	"You Don't Know Me"	Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker	3:07
5.	"Prayer in Open D"	Emmylou Harris	4:17
6.	"Crescent City"	Lucinda Williams	3:31
7.	"Lovin' You Again"	Roger D. Ferris	5:31
8.	"Jerusalem Tomorrow"	David Olney	4:17
9.	"Thanks to You"	Jesse Winchester	3:56
10.	"I Hear a Call"	Tony Arata	2:50
11.	"Ballad of a Runaway Horse"	Leonard Cohen	5:35

Personnel

Richard Aspinwall – assistant engineer
Larry Atamanuik – percussion, drums
Sam Bacco – percussion
Grace Bahng – cello
Richard Bennett – acoustic, tremolo, electric guitar, percussion, tambourine, producer, mandocello, hi-string guitar
Mike Brignardello – bass
Lori Brooks – harmony vocals
Sam Bush – fiddle
Kathy Chiavola – handclapping, harmony vocals
Ashley Cleveland – handclapping, harmony vocals
Suzanne Cox – background vocals
Emory Gordy, Jr. – string arrangements
Emmylou Harris – acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
Connie Heard – violin
John Heiden – design
David Hoffner – Hammond organ
Roy Huskey, Jr. – acoustic bass
Kieran Kane – gut string guitar
Mary Ann Kennedy – harmony vocals
Jana King – harmony vocals
Alison Krauss – background vocals
Chris Leuzinger – acoustic and electric guitar
Sam Levine – clarinet, flute
Joe Loesch – special effects
Robin Lynch – art direction
Edgar Meyer – double bass
Mark Miller – engineer, mixing
Al Perkins – pedal steel, steel guitar
Jon Randall – harmony vocals
Allen Reynolds – producer
Pam Rose – harmony vocals
Milton Sledge – percussion, drums
Jay Spell – piano, accordion
Tim White – photography
Hurshel Wiginton – harmony vocals
Kris Wilkinson – viola
Dennis Wilson – harmony vocals
Bobby Wood – organ, electric piano
Bob Wray – bass
Trisha Yearwood – handclapping, harmony vocals

Chart performance

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	34
U.S. Billboard 200	152
Canadian RPM Country Albums	19

Release history

Release history and formats for *Cowgirl's Prayer*
Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	September 28, 1993	CD cassette	Asylum Records Elektra Records	^[7]

References

^ "Emmylou Harris - Cowgirl's Prayer Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2011-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2011-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "ALBUM REVIEW". Los Angeles Times. 17 October 1993. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ "EMMYLOU HARRIS". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ "Emmylou Harris: Cowgirl's Prayer : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 9 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ Harris, Emmylou (September 28, 1993). "Cowgirl's Prayer (Liner Notes)". Asylum Records/Elektra Records. 9-61541-2 and 61541-2 (CD); 61541-4 (Cassette).

External links

Boehm, Mike (19 August 1993). "ANSWER TO A 'PRAYER': Emmylou Harris' Latest Digs Deep Into Universal Lament of Superficiality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
Gettelman, Parry (8 October 1993). "Emmylou Harris, Cowgirl's Prayer (Asylum): Cowgirl's Prayer is a bit uneven, but the high points make it worth negotiating a few rough spots". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 12 May 2011.