Trisha Yearwood (1991)

It doesn't hurt that Yearwood sings two of Garth Brooks' songs on her debut album, Trisha Yearwood, and has him warbling harmony vocals — on ''Like We Never Had a Broken Heart.'' But the Georgia-born Yearwood needs no embellishment to shine. A former demo singer with an ear for exceptional material (Kevin Welch's neo-rockabilly ''That's What I Like About You,'' Jude Johnstone's elegiac ''The Woman Before Me''), Yearwood, who grew up imitating Linda Ronstadt, also demonstrates technical and emotional authority at every turn. Whether tackling bluegrass, country rock, or '50s-style R&B, she sings with deeply imagined experience, making herself one of the most exhilarating — and classiest — of newcomers. A