Infamous Angel by Iris Dement

Infamous Angel, Iris DeMent's 1992 debut, sounds like it was recorded on a front porch somewhere a long way from Nashville's hit factories, and that's the point. Produced by Jim Rooney, it's plain-spoken country and folk with a gospel backbone, carried by a voice that sounds as old as the hills and as honest as a hymnbook. John Prine wrote the liner notes, and the Los Angeles Times' Robert Hilburn compared her to him, which is about as high as praise gets in these parts.

"Our Town" found a life of its own: it played over the closing moments of the final episode of Northern Exposure in 1995, and Kate Rusby, Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin and Trampled by Turtles have all recorded it. A Transatlantic Sessions version of "Let the Mystery Be" later became the theme for The Leftovers, and "Hotter Than Mojave in My Heart" was still drawing covers in 2026.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.