By Michael McCall
Photo by Michael Alan Goldberg
Two
young blondes with toothy smiles and hard-core work ethics, Taylor
Swift and Carrie Underwood, helped country expand its fan base in these
years of shrinking music sales. Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney, Rascal
Flatts, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and George
Strait kept filling arenas and at least maintaining their popularity on
the road, if not with record sales. But as has often been the case, the
best country music has little to do with what's successful in the
genre. It's made by those who care more about songs and arrangements
than about what the radio is playing or what sparks an arena concert.
Country music's strengths come from timeless elements; the same can be
said of this list of albums.
HAYES CARLL
Trouble in Mind
(Lost Highway)
MP3:
The
title of the opening song, "Drunken Poet's Dream," tips off the
perspective of this 32-year-old singer-songwriter from South Texas.
With the wry, wise voice of an educated rounder, he tackles liquor,
wild women, lost weekends and the perils of strutting and stumbling
through life. Carll sings colorfully and believably about experiences
most modern country singers ignore -- or hide.
LEE ANN WOMACK
Call Me Crazy
(MCA Nashville)
MP3:
Womack
and her veteran producer, Tony Brown, combine traditional and
contemporary ideas in spare arrangements that add nuance to the
real-life dramas she sings about. The results reveal how Nashville can
update country traditions without losing emotional heft, and Womack's
voice conveys heartbreak with the resignation of an adult who isn't
encountering pain for the first time.
JAMEY JOHNSON
That Lonesome Song
(Mercury Nashville)
MP3:
A
salt-of-the-earth antidote for those who consider contemporary country
music too slick and sentimental, Johnson serves up barroom poetry from
the point of view of hard-bitten losers and boozers. But it's not just
the outlaw stance that lifts his work; it's the blue-collar
authenticity of a man writing his truths with a balance of nerve and
sensitivity. He also offers the best backroom honky-tonk arrangements
heard this year. 
THE STEELDRIVERS
The Steeldrivers
(Rounder)
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Banjoist
Richard Bailey, bassist Richard Fleming, guitarist Mike Henderson and
fiddler Tammy Rogers give the Steeldrivers a formidable instrumental
lineup. But the ace in the hole is lead singer Chris Stapleton, who
shakes the earth with a rumbling baritone growl that has more in common
with soulful modern rockers than with high-lonesome tenors. Add
Henderson and Stapleton's dangerous, distinctive songs about murderers
and haunted souls, and the result is a rare bluegrass outfit you can't
invite to church on Sunday. 
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE
The Good Life
(Bloodshot)
MP3:
An
R. Crumb cartoon come to life, Earle offers a jaunty mix of
vaudevillian swing and Texas shuffles, with a couple of sidesteps into
bluesy, singer-songwriter narratives. His rakish style and fitful
energy, coupled with randy, self-deprecating lyrics, create the
portrait of a charming young hustler -- one likely to have a paperback
tucked into his pocket.
PATTY LOVELESS
Sleepless Nights
(Saguaro Road)
MP3:
As
the most convincingly old-school female country singer of her era,
Loveless seems a natural for an album of classic covers. Drawing
largely on golden-age songs from the 1950s and '60s, Loveless and
producer-husband Emory Gordy take pains to find fresh ways to interpret
familiar lyrics. The result underscores why these songs endure -- and
why Loveless is held in such high esteem by artists of earlier
generations.
BRUCE ROBISON
The New World/His Greatest
(Perfect)
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Modern-day
Texas bard Robison manages to compose hits for Nashville stars -- no
easy task for an outsider who writes alone -- while creating laid-back
yet provocative collections of his own. He released two albums this
year, one refashioning hits made famous by others, and another of new
material. Both portray a singer-songwriter who moves at a pace
distinctly different from the in-your-face razzmatazz of Music Row:
Robison's songs lope with funky rhythms or breathe with an acoustic
melodicism perfect for narratives that get inside human emotions. 
THE WRIGHTS
The Wrights/In the Summertime
(ACR/Tour)
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This
hardworking husband-and-wife duo also put out two collections this
year: an EP of originals that slip from breezy to brave, and a stylish
album of covers notable for how strongly the couple's own vision shines
through on a list of unpredictable choices. Shannon Wright brings a
great song interpreter's sense of nuance to her sweet, sensual voice
and, together with husband Adam, arranges tunes with a grace that makes
listeners lean in and pay attention. 
KATHY MATTEA
Coal
(Captain Potato/Thirty Tigers)
MP3:
As
a leading Nashville star in the 1980s and '90s, Mattea always brought a
folkie's sensibility and earthiness to country radio. As an independent
artist, she's increasingly shed Nashville's easy sentiments for the
deeper truths of singer-songwriters. Coal is the most overt folk album
of her career -- and one of her best. A collection of songs with mining
as a theme, it draws on Mattea's West Virginia roots and her early
musical influences -- and whether she's flashing anger, compassion or
love, her enormous humanity shines through.
RANDY TRAVIS
Around the Bend
(Warner Bros.)
MP3:
This
is what aging country singers should sound like in the 21st century.
Weathered and wise, Travis presents tough songs about personal
reckonings brought on by bad choices, and balances them with gracious
songs about the comfort brought on by good love. One of his
generation's most identifiable vocalists, Travis takes more risks with
his baritone these days, with solid results. Meanwhile, he and his
longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, blend good taste with bold ideas in
both material and arrangements.
