Home A Drinkin'" "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl," "Fist City," and "You're Looking at Country" show a vibrant, independent woman with her own strong beliefs and keen observations. In her songs, she (literally) fights for her man's loyalty, stands up to his abuse, and moves on when he leaves. Among these 16 cuts are duets with Ernest Tubb and Conway Twitty, the controversial "The Pill" (yes, that pill), and her autobiographical trademark, "Coal Miner's Daughter." Lynn's defiant outlook picks up where Kitty Wells left off. --Marc Greilsamer  (less)

has come to include any country-flavored music that is not contemporary Nashville swill. You'll find Earlesque roots-rock (Kevin Gordon), straight-up Hank (Wayne Hancock) or Hag (Dale Watson), delicate folk (Tom Russell and Iris DeMent), Texas prairie music (Don Walser), chimey country-pop (Ana Egge), brooding rock (Trish Murphy), contemporary bluegrass (Gwil Owen), outlaw (Libbi Bosworth), and progressive singer-songwriter (R.B. Morris). Paul Burch's superb "Jackson, TN" seems to owe as much to Roy Acuff as anyone else. Kelly Willis, a major-label refugee, enlists the support of acoustic Son Volt; meanwhile, Robbie Fulks, a major-label newcomer in 1998, recalls Nashville's prime with slippery vo...  (less)

North Carolina fundamentalist preacher, hits those Piedmont consonants hard, and looks like a cross between a contemporary Christian singer and a devotee of Trace Adkins, whose speaker-rattling baritone is an obvious inspiration. With producer Don Gehman (John Mellencamp) mixing Carroll's sensitive originals with hearty commercial songs from proven Nashville hitmeisters (Craig Wiseman, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele), it's hard to get a good fix on Carroll's persona, and he lives and dies by the material. One schizophrenic moment: "No Good in Goodbye," his duet with Nashville convert Jewel, who co-wrote the song with Carroll and Shaye Smith. The fading pop icon has no idea how to phrase a song like this, a...  (less)

singer who first put those titles--and eight others included here--in the Country Top 10. Producer Chet Atkins only lightly sweetened these early Nashville Sound tracks, allowing Gibson's affecting style plenty of room. His greatest performance might be on "Sea of Heartbreak," a Hal David-penned number that's a small lesson in controlled vocal emotion. In addition to Gibson's most notable hits, this collection also offers several fine album tracks (a stylishly low-key version of "Camptown Races," the midtempo near-rocker "It Has to Be"). Astonishingly, the liner notes point out, Gibson has yet to be inducted into country's Hall of Fame. If nothing else, though, this reissue should help reset the balance in appreciation of Gibson's work. --Rickey ...  (less)

artist for kids who have grown up in the past 25 years. So it should be no surprise that when 13 of country's coolest singers and groups, from Asleep at the Wheel to Kathy Mattea, salute him, the result is an unbridled success. Whether it's the very young country star Billy Gilman serenading with "Baby Beluga," Marty Stuart celebrating organic farmers in "Naturally," or Rhonda Vincent's sweet version of "Bananaphone," your smile just grows as the CD spins. Alison's Krauss's "Blessed Be" ought be playing in every home and on every station these days. But it's "Blue White Planet," Raffi's new song, which he sings, that joyfully transcends all the happy moments and wonderfully frames our blue orb in the proper poetic context that the cosmos intended for it. --Martin ...  (less)

Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Don Williams, Chet Atkins, Ricky Skaggs, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on this album. Nelson, Harris, and Williams prove such dominating singers that the Chieftains seem to disappear into the background. A more equal balance is struck with the more instrumentally minded Americans like Skaggs, Atkins, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush, and it's a treat to hear the Irish fiddles and tin whistle floating above Fleck's banjo and Skaggs's mandolin on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." -- Geoffrey Himes  (less)

paved the way for many of today’s modern folk / country / Americana artists and was once considered America’s premier folk balladeer. His albums of cowboy songs and children’s songs were staples of life in 1950’s America and found their way into America’s school systems and libraries all across the land. Ed was one of the first responsible for bringing folk music to television and was a frequent performer on children’s shows and musical specials. His original composition "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream" was one of the key anthems of the Anti-War movement. This classic album, "A Ballad Singer’s Choice" is one of the greatest examples of pure folksong sung by a master. Recorded in 1956, this release marks the first CD edition...  (less)

brought rock back to its roots—the American South, and, at ground zero, the magical fusion of country and R&B at Memphis’ Sun Studios. Today it encompasses jam bands, country mavericks, singer songwriters, and rockers alike. This new compilation celebrates the classic era of Southern rock with new interpretations by contemporary performers who embody—and relish—its rebel spirit.  (less)

It is the Native American way to always remember and honor the men and women who serve and have served in the armed forces. This recording presents ten pow-wow songs composed to honor those who have protected their country and their people.  (less)